Michael Cage, Scottie Pippen, Joe Johnson … Fat Lever? Top 8 NBA “Arkansans” In Statistical Categories

Ever wondered how NBA Arkansans stack up against each other in terms of career statistics? Wonder no more: below is the first and only comprehensive list including both native Arkansans and non-natives who played college ball in Arkansas.

You’ll notice Scottie Pippen is the only player in each Top 8 list, followed by Alvin Robertson – who ranks in all categories except rebounds and blocks per game.

For fun, I’ve boldfaced the non-natives who played college ball in Arkansas. They are all Razorbacks.

STEALS

This, by far, is the category in which NBA Arkansans excel the most. Three of the top 12 ball thieves in NBA history rep Arkansas by birthplace (Lever), college (Robertson) or both (Pippen).

POINTS

REBOUNDS

N.B. Oliver Miller averaged 5.9 rebounds and Alvin Robertson averaged 5.2 in his NBA career. 

*** The Jones brothers’ stats include their seasons in the American Basketball Association, which merged with the NBA in 1976. I list the total of the NBA and ABA statistics. 

ASSISTS

BLOCKS

	Total		Per Game
Caldwell Jones	2297	Caldwell Jones	1.8
Charles Jones	1134	Joe Barry Carroll	1.59
Joe Barry Carroll	1121	Charles Jones	1.77
Andrew Lang	1099	Oliver Miller	1.54
Scottie Pippen	947	Andrew Lang	1.49
Oliver Miller	758	Scottie Pippen	0.80
Michael Cage	725	Bryant Reeves	0.76
Alvin Robertson	323	Michael Cage	0.64

Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (regular season)

This high-falutin’ stat is one of the best ways to determine how much a player actually helps his team win games, as opposed to just filling up the box score. It’s an estimate of the number of wins contributed by that player per 48 minutes, which is one game’s duration. The average NBA player contributes 1/10th of a win per 48 minutes. (Only those who have played in at least three NBA seasons are ranked in this particular list.)

Semi-obscure Arkansas connections –

Lafayette “Fat” Lever – Born in 1960 in Pine Bluff, his family moved to Tuscon, Arizona when he was in the fourth grade. After starring at Arizona State, he became one of the best guards in the NBA in the late 1980s. Lever made  two NBA All-Star teams and became one of only three players in NBA history to record 15 plus points, rebounds, and assists in a single playoff game (the others being Jason Kidd and Wilt Chamberlain), according to Hoopedia.

Here’s a nice feature on Lever via ProHoopsHistory.com.

Archie Clark: Born in 1941 in Conway, then moved to Ecorse, Michigan – a suburb of Detroit. After starring at Minnesota, he played 10 seasons in the NBA and made two All-Star teams. One of the early practitioners of the crossover dribble.

Joe Barry Carroll: Born in 1958 in Pine Bluff and one of 13 children. His mother moved the family to Denver in 1971 to train to become a nurse’s aide. Carroll, a seven-footer, was a devastating post presence at Purdue and was the first overall pick in the 1980 draft. He never did live up to that status but put in a solid 11-year career.

Mike Conley, Jr: The Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard grew up in Fayetteville. The son of the Razorback All-American track star Mike Conley, he played in the same AAU basketball circles as Ronnie Brewer. As children, they often spent the night at each others’ house, Ronnie told me. Young Mike also practiced often at Bud Walton Arena with Mike Anderson, Jr., said Pat Bradley, who recalled seeing him shoot around during Hog practices in the late 1990s. In middle school, Conley, Jr. and his family moved to Indianapolis.