NBA All-Star 2024 tips off Feb. 16 with the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Panini Rising Stars, culminating in the 73rd All-Star Game on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (8 ET, TNT).
With the league’s annual star-studded event taking place in Indiana, we’d be remiss to not pay homage to some of the greatest players raised in a state that produced six Hall of Famers. So, we decided to put together an all-time starting five of players born or raised in Indiana, without regard for position.
As you can see, our starting five fits in the mold of today’s era of position-less basketball:
G: Oscar Robertson
F: Larry Bird
F: Glenn Robinson
F: George McGinnis
F/C: Shawn Kemp
Born in Tennessee, Robertson moved to Indianapolis at 18 months old. He eventually became the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season. Robertson accomplished that feat in just his second season and remained the only player to do it for more than 50 years (until Russell Westbrook matched it in 2016-17).
Nicknamed the “Big O,” Robertson was considered the NBA’s first big guard at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. A Hall of Famer and member of the NBA’s 35th, 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, Robertson was named Rookie of the Year in 1960-61, played in 12 consecutive All-Star Games and was named NBA MVP (1963-64). He also helped the Milwaukee Bucks win their first NBA championship in 1971.
Bird grew up in French Lick, Ind., and became Springs Valley High School’s all-time leading scorer before reviving the NBA in the 1980s alongside his rival, Magic Johnson. The Celtics legend is the only player in NBA history to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in a career.
The 12-time NBA All-Star won three championships (1981, ’84, ’86) and either held or shared 27 Celtics records when he retired in 1992. The 1980 Rookie of the Year and Hall of Famer also won three NBA MVP awards and two NBA Finals MVPs.
A native of Gary, Ind., Robinson didn’t start playing organized basketball until the ninth grade. But that didn’t stop him from leading Roosevelt High School to a state championship as a senior, in addition to being named Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American. Later nicknamed “Big Dog,” Robinson led his high school to 73-7 record.
Milwaukee selected the former Purdue standout No. 1 overall in 1994, and Robinson was first-team All-Rookie in 1994-95 after averaging 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. The two-time All-Star also spent time with the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers, before retiring on the heels of his only championship as a reserve in 2005 for the San Antonio Spurs.
Born in Alabama, McGinnis grew up in Indianapolis and attended Washington High School, where in 1969 he won Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana. The 1973 ABA Finals MVP and 1975 ABA MVP helped the Indiana Pacers capture two of their three ABA championships and posted the first 50-point triple-double in NBA/ABA postseason history (1975).
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, McGinnis played seven seasons in the NBA. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers (1975-78) and Denver Nuggets (1978-80) and made three All-Star squads before being traded to the Pacers in 1980 to play his last 2 1/2 seasons. The Pacers retired McGinnis’ No. 30 jersey in 1985, making him just one of four Pacers (Roger Brown, Mel Daniels and Reggie Miller being the others) to have his jersey raised to the rafters.
In December 2023, McGinnis died after succumbing to complications from a cardiac arrest. He was 73.
The six-time All-Star forward played two seasons as a center later in his career. But “Reign Man” is mostly known for his high-flying days with the Seattle SuperSonics, leading his squad alongside Gary Payton to the NBA Finals in 1996. The Elkhart, Ind. native declared for the 1989 NBA Draft at 19 and was taken 17th overall despite not playing college ball.
One of the most athletic and dominant power forwards of his era, Kemp debuted in the NBA three weeks before his 20th birthday, making him the league’s youngest player. Kemp played most of his career in Seattle but also spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic.
Honorable Sixth Man: Zach Randolph
Four-time All-Star Clyde Lovellette deserves mention here. But the nod goes to Randolph, a Marion, Ind. native, and two-time All-Star, who played 17 seasons with five teams. Randolph served as the lynchpin of the “Grit and Grind” era in Memphis.
Current NBA stars with Indiana ties
Grizzlies stars Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were standout high school players in Indiana.
G: Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies – Richmond, Indiana
G: Mike Conley, Jr.*, Minnesota Timberwolves – Indianapolis, Indiana
G: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers – Gary, Indiana
F: Gordon Hayward, Oklahoma City Thunder – Indianapolis, Indiana
F: Jaren Jackson Jr.**, Memphis Grizzlies – Carmel, Indiana
F: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets – Indianapolis, Indiana
* — Conley was born in Arkansas but moved to Indiana just before starting junior high school. Conley played high school basketball at Lawrence North High in Indianapolis.
** — Jackson was born in Plainfield, N.J., but grew up in Carmel, Ind., and played high school basketball in Indianapolis and La Porte.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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