Earlier today we wrote up the Top Ten All-Time NBA Player lists compiled by Tyler Lydon, Frank Howard, Tyus Battle, and Matthew Moyer. After we were done freaking out about the fact that Howard thinks Steve Francis deserves a nod, the conversation started to turn jokingly towards the fact that there were no Syracuse Orange on that list.
And then we started talking about what that list of Syracuse Orange alums in the NBA might look like.
And now we're here.
So below in the comments is your chance to write up your Top Tenn All-Time NBA Players Who Went To Syracuse. We urge you to resist recency bias and try to remember that NBA history is paved with great SU players from as far back as the 1940's.
In fact, 48 different Syracuse alums have played in the NBA headed into this season when Malachi Richardson and Michael Gbinije will make it an even 50.
There's Billy Gabor, who played seven seasons and won an NBA Title with the Syracuse Nationals.
There's Dave Bing, a Hall-of-Famer who averaged 20.3 PPG across his storied career.
No Syracuse alum has played more seasons in the NBA than Danny Schayes (18) while no one has scored more points than Carmelo Anthony (22,497).
There's sneaky guys like Sherman Douglas and Derrick Coleman, who played 12 and 15 seasons, respectively. You have to think beyond preconceived notions to see their longevity and stats.
So add your list below. Remember, this is 100% about how they performed in the NBA. You can't put Lawrence Moten at No. 1 because he led Syracuse in scoring. That's irrelevant here. Keep it professional. Literally.