The NBA Summer League just began, and it got us thinking about the greatest Wisconsin Badgers based entirely on NBA careers. The parameters for this ranking are that you can't use any college stats, how they performed, their role with the team, or any other Wisconsin-based category. This ranking is only for what happened after they left Wisconsin and played in the NBA.
Which means great Badgers like Ethan Happ won't make the list, as Happ never played in the NBA. We also haven't seen enough of John Tonje or Nick Boyd yet (to get more recent).
As we work out the list, there's an obvious No. 1, but the rest is a bit more complicated to work out. Even without a ton of options to choose from. Let's start with the honorable mentions, No. 10, and work our way up.
Honorable mentions
Alando Tucker -Â Only played in about 50 NBA games, even though he was a first-round pick. Simply couldn't stick in the league and mostly ended up playing overseas. You could argue that he made No. 10 as he scored more points than those on this list at 10, but at 51 games, it's hard to justify.
Nigel Hayes-Davis - The above about Tucker could almost be repeated for Hayes-Davis, except he went undrafted. He did have two different stints in the NBA, though.
10. Cory Blackwell
Might as well start with a throwback to begin this list. Blackwell was a Badger in the 1980s and had only a two-year career for the Seattle SuperSonics, scoring over 200 points in that time.
9. Johnny Davis
Davis has been mostly a bust in the NBA, at least in comparison to his draft stock. However, he played for three seasons and more than 100 games in Washington, scoring nearly 400 points. While that makes his average of around four points a game a bit underwhelming, he cracks the list.
8. Micah Potter
Potter has really started to establish himself in the NBA over the last couple of seasons. He's now over 110 games played in the league, and his most recent season with the Indiana Pacers showcased that he's a big body that can be relied on, averaging almost 10 points a game in a reserve role. This season will be pivotal for the former Badger.
7. Don Rehfeldt
The biggest throwback on this list. Rehfeldt was the No. 2 overall pick by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1950 NBA Draft. He would go on to play for three seasons in the NBA and averaged over seven points per game. He eventually didn't make the Boston roster after bouncing around and ultimately chose to leave the NBA.
6. Kim Hughes
Another throwback, but he had a six-year career in the ABA/NBA. His service log alone helps propel him up this list, but he was an All-ABA Rookie in his first season, played in nearly 350 NBA games, and helped Julius Erving win an ABA championship in 1976. Yes, we can count ABA in this list because ABA merged with the NBA. However, in his career, he only averaged around three points per game. Not much of a stat-stuffer.
5. Sam Dekker
Drafted in 2015 by the Houston Rockets and bounced around a little, but had around a five-year NBA career. Played over 200 career games, averaging 5.5 points per game. He edges out Hughes, but not by a lot.
4. Jon Leuer
The list finally takes a noticeable jump when it gets inside the top-4. Leuer had a solid 8-year NBA career with over 400 games played. He was a consistent rotational player in the NBA and even signed a 4-year $42 million deal with Detroit at one point. He's a solid No. 4 on this list.
3. Frank Kaminsky
Kaminsky was a decent big in the NBA but not an all-star. He played 413 NBA games and averaged around nine points per game. He finished his career overseas, but in his NBA career, he had three seasons where he averaged double-digit points.
2. Devin Harris
The No. 1 and No. 2 on this list can run laps around the rest in terms of NBA careers. Harris scored over 10,000 points in his time in the league. He played 985 regular-season games, which is more than anyone else on this list (even No. 1). He was a 1x NBA All-Star during the 2008-2009 season with the Nets when he averaged over 21.3 points, 6.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
1. Michael Finley
Finley is the undisputed top Wisconsin Badger based solely on NBA production, and it's not even that close. Finley was a 2x NBA All-Star, NBA Champion (2007), and finished inside the top-25 in NBA MVP voting more than once. He has 17,306 points, 4,804 rebounds, 3,245 assists, and 1,629 blocks in his NBA career. Wisconsin legend. NBA legend.
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