Top 5 Hoosier NBA Careers

[jermhoosierfan]

1 hour ago, str8baller said:

They both had multiple seasons averaged in the ‘teens’ in ppg. Calbert was a full time starter early in his career. Neither him or Henderson were very good shooters and were just decent athletes at the NBA level leading to their struggles. 

It was said that if you gave RMK average players he will beat you with them.  If you gave him athletes, he would win championships.  Whether or not that actually would hold up, who knows.  I do know that he loved smart players who would do what he wanted.

[Home Jersey]

Eric Gordon has had a sneakily good pro career that's still going. 6th man of the year and close to $190M career earnings. 

I wish VO's injury luck was different and that he hadn't turned down that Pacers extension. 

[go iu bb]

3 hours ago, str8baller said:

Steve Hart :{ 

I remember watching a game where he jumped over the head of some guy who was 6'7" or 6'8" and standing pretty much upright. It was impressive.

[Magnanimous]

19 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

Our OG discussion gave me this new thread idea -- rank the top 5 Hoosier NBA careers. ONE CAVEAT: They have to have suited up as  Hoosier, so no citing Larry Bird or Guy-Marc Michel.

I'll start:

1. Zeke
2. McGuiness
3. OG
4. Bellamy
5. Dick Van Arsdale

Honorable mention/second five: EJ, McGlocklin, VO, Woody, Tom Van Arsdale

OG is having a remarkable run, and if the Knicks finish this they’ll be talking about him in NYC for the next 50 years ala Walt Frazier. With that said, Walt Bellamy is an NBA hall of famer with almost 21k career points. IMO, OG has a ways to go if we’re talking total career, although his is certainly becoming more impactful than Bellamy’s.

[rayl456]

20 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

Our OG discussion gave me this new thread idea -- rank the top 5 Hoosier NBA careers. ONE CAVEAT: They have to have suited up as  Hoosier, so no citing Larry Bird or Guy-Marc Michel.

I'll start:

1. Zeke
2. McGuiness
3. OG
4. Bellamy
5. Dick Van Arsdale

Honorable mention/second five: EJ, McGlocklin, VO, Woody, Tom Van Arsdale

So, my question in a thread like this is “What makes a top 5 career?  What do you value?  Individual career stats?  Championships?  Longevity?”  

[Stuhoo]

49 minutes ago, rayl456 said:

So, my question in a thread like this is “What makes a top 5 career?  What do you value?  Individual career stats?  Championships?  Longevity?”  

That's what makes this thread interesting - the subjective discussion during the slowest months of the year for IU sports.

[BGleas]

1 hour ago, rayl456 said:

So, my question in a thread like this is “What makes a top 5 career?  What do you value?  Individual career stats?  Championships?  Longevity?”  

Yeah, it's interesting. OG is great and a super impactful player, but I'm even surprised people have him above VO. 

I'm a Celtics fan and don't get me wrong, I'd would take OG on my team any time. 

With that said while his career was derailed by injuries so the longevity isn't there, VO was a two-time all star.

OG to this point has never really sniffed an all star team. Team success is obviously important, but when talking best players there are levels and team success seperates you within those levels. 

So to me, VO being a two-time all-star puts him at a level above OG. Maybe a Finals MVP levels that a bit. 

[rayl456]

42 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

That's what makes this thread interesting - the subjective discussion during the slowest months of the year for IU sports.

Absolutely.  I just wondered what folks are using for their individual criteria when answering.  

[str8baller]

4 hours ago, Home Jersey said:

Eric Gordon has had a sneakily good pro career that's still going. 6th man of the year and close to $190M career earnings. 

I wish VO's injury luck was different and that he hadn't turned down that Pacers extension. 

Gordon was like 5-8 years ahead of his time. He was just exiting his time as full time starting guard when the league became smaller and really 3pt heavy. 
 

Had he started his career in that era he would have had every chance to be the star 2 guard that launches 8-10 3’s a game at a 40% clip.  But the NBA kind of runs on a star/contract caste system and once you transition from promising young star to 5th/6th option it’s hard to regain that mojo.  
 

I always really liked EG and think if given a few breaks his career might’ve played out much better. 

[American HoosierX]

It's crazy to me that Romeo is already out of the league. I didn't necessarily think he'd be an all-star, but I thought he'd have a long career.

[AH1971]

Bellamy definitely ahead of OG. Would argue Bellamy belongs ahead of McGinnis if we're strictly talking NBA career. 

[Stuhoo]

1 hour ago, BGleas said:

Yeah, it's interesting. OG is great and a super impactful player, but I'm even surprised people have him above VO. 

I'm a Celtics fan and don't get me wrong, I'd would take OG on my team any time. 

With that said while his career was derailed by injuries so the longevity isn't there, VO was a two-time all star.

OG to this point has never really sniffed an all star team. Team success is obviously important, but when talking best players there are levels and team success seperates you within those levels. 

So to me, VO being a two-time all-star puts him at a level above OG. Maybe a Finals MVP levels that a bit. 

To OG's benefit, he has been a two time all-defensive team and led the league in steals once.

For me, VO was on his way to an extraordinary career but it it had a Derrick Rose-like short prime.

[Lebowski]

Big Mac
Bells
Zeke
OG
*Slick

All of them are or will be HOF inductees

*Bobby Slick Leonard as a coach and I'm counting the ABA as part of his NBA career. I contemplated on whether I should have him at #1 overall because his career in the NBA was at all four levels (player, coach, exec, and media). Straight up legend and state of Indiana treasure. Hoosier through and through.  

[HoosierHoopster]

On 6/12/2026 at 12:08 PM, BGleas said:

Yeah, it's interesting. OG is great and a super impactful player, but I'm even surprised people have him above VO. 

I'm a Celtics fan and don't get me wrong, I'd would take OG on my team any time. 

With that said while his career was derailed by injuries so the longevity isn't there, VO was a two-time all star.

OG to this point has never really sniffed an all star team. Team success is obviously important, but when talking best players there are levels and team success seperates you within those levels. 

So to me, VO being a two-time all-star puts him at a level above OG. Maybe a Finals MVP levels that a bit. 

Yeah Vic’s injuries derailed his path, he was outstanding and deservedly an all star early and came the injuries

[HoosierHoopster]

On 6/12/2026 at 1:05 PM, American HoosierX said:

It's crazy to me that Romeo is already out of the league. I didn't necessarily think he'd be an all-star, but I thought he'd have a long career.

Injuries after injuries. Sucks 

[HoosierHoopster]

On 6/11/2026 at 2:27 PM, Stuhoo said:

Our OG discussion gave me this new thread idea -- rank the top 5 Hoosier NBA careers. ONE CAVEAT: They have to have suited up as  Hoosier, so no citing Larry Bird or Guy-Marc Michel.

I'll start:

1. Zeke
2. McGuiness
3. OG
4. Bellamy
5. Dick Van Arsdale

Honorable mention/second five: EJ, McGlocklin, VO, Woody, Tom Van Arsdale

 

On 6/11/2026 at 2:27 PM, Stuhoo said:

Our OG discussion gave me this new thread idea -- rank the top 5 Hoosier NBA careers. ONE CAVEAT: They have to have suited up as  Hoosier, so no citing Larry Bird or Guy-Marc Michel.

I'll start:

1. Zeke
2. McGuiness
3. OG
4. Bellamy
5. Dick Van Arsdale

Honorable mention/second five: EJ, McGlocklin, VO, Woody, Tom Van Arsdale

Good list. 
I don’t think OG is that high - yet - but largely because of the role he’s played. He’s kinda similar to Kawhi who played a lot like OG early in his career - monster defender, played behind scorers on the Spurs early, didn’t need to be big offensively, but the Kawhi took on the lead role and became one of the best. Does OG have that kind of turn in his game? Doubt it at this point but still think his overall game is undervalued. Nonetheless I don’t see him that high at this point.

i’d put Bellamy 3 and EJ 4. EJ’s career was derailed by injury early, after he was playing at a top 10 level, but he adjusted his game and has been a key player for an extended NBA career (kinda like Rose)

[Josh]

On 6/12/2026 at 10:35 AM, go iu bb said:

I remember watching a game where he jumped over the head of some guy who was 6'7" or 6'8" and standing pretty much upright. It was impressive.

I think that was a Midnight Madness scrimmage, wasn't it?  Yeah that was nuts.  My freshman year at IU I was excited to learn he was in one of my classes.  He never showed up and was off the team soon after.  What an athlete, what a waste.

[str8baller]

9 hours ago, Josh said:

I think that was a Midnight Madness scrimmage, wasn't it?  Yeah that was nuts.  My freshman year at IU I was excited to learn he was in one of my classes.  He never showed up and was off the team soon after.  What an athlete, what a waste.

I was younger but couldn’t wait until he turned into the next Michael Jordan with that amazing vertical. Weird how that works innit?