Top Five NBA Players from Bradley University

The Bradley University Braves men's basketball team is one of the top programs of the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley has long been one of the best mid-major schools at producing NBA talent with 38 former players being drafted into the league. The best NBA players from Bradley University include former All-Stars Chet Walker and Hersey Hawkins.

Chet Walker:

All-Star forward Chet Walker was one of the greatest NBA players from Bradley University. Walker was a three-time All-American for the Braves with three-year averages of 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. He split his NBA career between the 76ers and the Bulls with highlights including one double-double season and three years of better than 20 points per contest. He scored more than 9,000 points with each team and totaled 18,831 to rank in the NBA's all-time top 50. In 13 seasons, Chet Walker posted overall averages of 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Hersey Hawkins:

Sharpshooting All-Star guard Hersey Hawkins played from 1988 to 2001 as one of the top NBA players from Bradley University. Hawkins had a remarkable senior season for the Braves as he led the nation with 36.3 points and was awarded 1988 NCAA Player of the Year by the AP. He is one of only seven players in Division I history to score more than 3,000 points. When he entered the NBA, he remained a strong scorer as he averaged 19.0 points per game and eclipsed the 20 mark twice in five seasons with the 76ers. Hawkins drained 1,226 threes in his career on a .395 percentage to rank in the top 50 in each. He also stands 20th all-time in steals with 1,622 takeaways.

Anthony Parker:

The top active NBA player from Bradley University is Cavaliers' guard Anthony Parker. Parker was a first round pick in 1997, but he played three uneventful seasons before taking his game overseas. After gaining clout internationally, Parker returned to the NBA with the Raptors in 2006 where he immediately became their starting shooting guard. In three years with Toronto, he averaged 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting .424 from three-point land. Now with Cleveland, Parker has put together a career .415 three-point shooting percentage, the fourth highest active percentage and tenth highest in NBA history.

Steve Kuberski:

Former Celtics' power forward Steve Kuberski was one of the most successful NBA players from Bradley University. After averaging 23 points and ten rebounds for the Braves, Kuberski was taken with the 52nd pick of the 1969 NBA Draft. He played nine seasons with his best statistical campaign coming in 1970-71 when he averaged 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. As a role player in Boston, Kuberski was a part of two NBA Championship teams in 1974 and 1976.

Roger Phegley:

Guard Roger Phegley played briefly in the 1980s as one of the best NBA players from Bradley University. Phegley was a 2,000 point scorer at Bradley and entered the NBA as a first round pick by the Bullets in 1978. He scored 3,011 points in 345 NBA games for the Bullets, Nets, Cavs, Spurs, and Mavs. Phegley had his career year in Cleveland in 1980-81 when he averaged 14.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists with a .491 shooting percentage.

References:

NBA & ABA Players Who Attended Bradley University. Basketball-Reference.com