Rick Barry

Barry was then selected by the San Francisco Warriors with the second pick in the 1965 NBA Draft. In his rookie season (1965–66), he was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year, averaging 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, significantly contributing to his team’s improved win record. The following year, Barry continued his dominant performance, leading the NBA in scoring with an average of 35.6 points per game and earning the 1967 NBA All-Star Game MVP after scoring 38 points. He guided the Warriors to the 1967 NBA Finals, where he averaged an extraordinary 40.8 points per game, a finals record that remained for nearly three decades.

That season, he also led the league in free throw percentage (.904) and steals per game (2.9), marking the peak of his all-around play. He concluded his professional career with the Houston Rockets in 1980, achieving a career-high 502 assists in the 1978–79 season and setting an NBA record with a .947 free throw percentage. Barry’s indelible impact on basketball was recognized with his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. He was later named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and honored on the prestigious NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, cementing his legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats.