Big 3 Sports Blog

I have always been interested in Mount Rushmore.  Not the actual landmark, but the concept of “the best 4 of any given category”.  So now that the 2010s are officially over, we are 20 years into this century.  So, in that timeframe, who are the best pro players from each State?  The Mount Rushmore of each State if you will.

Let’s have a look.  As always, tell me how I’m wrong!

Arizona
Randy Johnson – Hall of Famer; led the Diamondbacks to their only World Series title; World Series Co-MVP; 4-time Cy Young Award winner; 5-time All-Star
Curt Schilling – Led the Diamondbacks to their only World Series title; World Series Co-MVP; 2-time Cy Young Award runner-up; 2-time All-Star
Steve Nash – Hall of Famer; 2-time MVP; 5-time All-NBA Team; 5-time Assist champion; 6-time All-Star; led Suns to Playoffs 6 consecutive years
Larry Fitzgerald – 2^nd all-time in career Receptions; 1-time All-Pro; 11-time Pro Bowler; led the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance
Honorable Mentions – Shawn Marion, Kurt Warner

California
Kobe Bryant – 5-time NBA Champion; 2-time NBA Finals MVP; 1-time MVP; 3^rd all-time in career Points; 15-time All-NBA Team; 18-time All-Star
Barry Bonds – 5-time MVP; 1^st all-time in career Home Runs and Walks; led the League in Home Runs, Batting Average, Walks, On Base Percentage, and Slugging numerous times; 12-time All-Star
Steph Curry – 3-time NBA Champion; 2-time MVP; 6-time All-NBA Team; 6-time All-Star; one of the best shooters in NBA history
Mike Trout – Top 4 in MVP voting in all 8 seasons in MLB, 3-time winner; led the League in Runs, Runs Batted In, Walks, On Base Percentage, Slugging, and Stolen Bases numerous times; 8-time All-Star; on pace to be one of best ever
Honorable Mentions – Shaquille O’Neal, Clayton Kershaw, Ladainian Tomlinson, Joe Thornton, Jonathan Quick

Colorado
Todd Helton – 2000 Batting Average, Runs Batted In, Doubles, and Hits leader; 5-time All-Star; one of the better hitters this century
Carmelo Anthony – 4-time All-NBA Team; Scoring champion; 4-time All-Star; one of the better pure scorers this century
Peyton Manning – Led Broncos to their only Super Bowl title this century; 1-time MVP; 2-time All-Pro; 3-time Pro-Bowler
Milan Hejduk – Led the Avalanche to their only Stanley Cup title; 1-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner; 1-time NHL All-Star Team; 3-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Nikola Jokic, Tim Tebow 😊

Florida
Dwyane Wade – 3-time NBA Champion; 1-time NBA Finals MVP; 8-time All-NBA Team; Scoring champion; 13-time All-Star
Martin St. Louis – Hall of Famer; led the Lightning to their only Stanley Cup title; 1-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner; 3-time Lady Byng Trophy winner; 5-time NHL All-Star Team; 6-time All-Star
Dwight Howard – 3-time Defensive Player of the Year; 4-time All-NBA Team; 4-time Rebounding champion; 5-time All-Star; led Magic to Playoffs 6 consecutive years
LeBron James – 2-time NBA Champion; 2-time NBA Finals MVP; 2-time MVP; 4-time All-NBA Team; 4-time All-Star; led the Heat to NBA Finals all 4 seasons he played there
Honorable Mentions – Ronde Barber; Evan Longoria; Giancarlo Stanton, Steven Stamkos

Georgia
Chipper Jones – Hall of Famer; 1-time Batting champion; 5-time All-Star; played entire 19-year career in Atlanta
Ilya Kovalchuk – 1-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner; 1-time NHL All-Star Team; 3-time All-Star
Julio Jones – 2-time All-Pro; 2-time Receiving champion; 7-time Pro-Bowler
Al Horford – 1-time All-NBA Team; 4-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Matt Ryan, Andruw Jones

Illinois
Patrick Kane – 3-time Stanley Cup Champion; 1-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner; 1-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner; 4-time NHL All-Star Team; 9-time All-Star
Brian Urlacher – Hall of Famer; 1-time Defensive Player of the Year; 4-time All-Pro; 8-time Pro Bowler
Mark Buehrle – Led the White Sox to their first World Series title in 88 years; 4-time All-Star
Anthony Rizzo – Led the Cubs to their first World Series title in 108 years; 3-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Paul Konerko, Kris Bryant, Chris Sale

Indiana
Peyton Manning – Led Colts to their only Super Bowl title this century; 1-time Super Bowl MVP; 4-time MVP; 5-time All-Pro; led the NFL in Passer Rating, Yards, and Touchdowns numerous times; 12-time Pro-Bowler
Reggie Wayne – Led Colts to their only Super Bowl title this century; 1-time All-Pro; 1-time Receiving champion; 6-time Pro-Bowler
Marvin Harrison – Hall of Famer; led Colts to their only Super Bowl title this century; 2-time All-Pro; 2-time Receiving champion; 7-time Pro-Bowler
Reggie Miller – Hall of Famer; led Pacers to their only NBA Finals appearance in team history; played entire 18-year career in Indiana
Honorable Mentions – Andrew Luck, Jermaine O’Neal, Paul George

Louisiana
Drew Brees – Led Saints to their only Super Bowl title in franchise history; 1-time Super Bowl MVP; 2-time Offensive Player of the Year; 1^st all-time in career Touchdowns and Yards; 1-time All-Pro; led the NFL in Passer Rating, Yards, and Touchdowns numerous times; 13-time Pro-Bowler
Sean Payton* – Led Saints to their only Super Bowl title in franchise history; 1-time Coach of the Year; helped New Orleans franchise (as well as the entire city) recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina *Only Coach to make the list
Chris Paul – 3-time All-NBA Team; 3-time Steals champion; 2-time Assists champion; 4-time All-Star
Anthony Davis – 3-time All-NBA Team; 6-time All-Star; #1 overall draft pick
Honorable Mentions – Deuce McAllister, David West

Maryland
Ray Lewis – Hall of Famer; 2-time Super Bowl Champion; 1-time Super Bowl MVP; 2-time Defensive Player of the Year; 7-time All-Pro; 13-time Pro-Bowler
Ed Reed – Hall of Famer; 1-time Super Bowl Champion; 1-time Defensive Player of the Year; 7^th all-time in career Interceptions; 5-time All-Pro; 9-time Pro-Bowler
Joe Flacco – 1-time Super Bowl Champion; 1-time Super Bowl MVP
Brian Roberts – 2-time All-Star; 2-time Doubles champion; 1-time Stolen Base champion
Honorable Mentions – Adam Jones, Manny Machado

Massachusetts
Tom Brady – 6-time Super Bowl Champion; 4-time Super Bowl MVP; 3-time MVP; 3-time All-Pro; led the NFL in Passer Rating, Yards, and Touchdowns numerous times; 14-time Pro-Bowler
David Ortiz – 4-time World Series Champion; 1-time World Series MVP; 3-time Runs Batted In champion, 1-time Home Run champion; 10-time All-Star
Patrice Bergeron – 1-time Stanley Cup Champion; 4-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner; 2-time All-Star
Paul Pierce – Led Celtics to their only NBA Championship this century; 1-time NBA Finals MVP; 4-time All-NBA Team; 10-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Bill Belichick, Terry Francona, Pedro Martinez

Michigan
Nicklas Lidstrom – Hall of Famer; 4-time Stanley Cup Champion; 1-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner; 7-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner; 12-time NHL All-Star Team; 11-time All-Star
Miguel Cabrera – 2-time MVP; led the League in Batting Average, Home Runs, and Runs Batted In numerous times; 7-time All-Star; 1-time Triple Crown winner
Justin Verlander – 1-time MVP; 1-time Cy Young Award winner; led the League in Wins, E.R.A, and Strikeouts numerous times; 6-time All-Star
2004 Detroit Pistons* – NBA Champions, and one of the more selfless teams this century – I felt they were worth inclusion as a team *Only team to make the list
Honorable Mentions – Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford

Minnesota
Joe Mauer – 1-time MVP; 3-time Batting Average champion; 3-time All-Star
Kevin Garnett – 1-time MVP; 1-time Defensive Player of the Year; 8-time All-NBA Team; 4-time Rebounding champion; 10-time All-Star
Adrian Peterson – 1-time MVP; 4-time All-Pro; 3-time Rushing champion; 7-time Pro-Bowler
Johan Santana – 2-time Cy Young Award winner; 3-time Pitching champion; 3-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Kevin Love, Randy Moss

Missouri
Albert Pujols – 2-time World Series Champion; 3-time MVP; led the League in Batting Average, Home Runs, and Runs Batted In numerous times; 9-time All-Star
Tony Gonzalez – Hall of Famer; 5-time All-Pro; 3^rd all-time in career Receptions; 10-time Pro-Bowler; arguably the best Tight End in NFL history
Yadier Molina – 2-time World Series Champion; 9-time Gold Glover; 9-time All-Star
Isaac Bruce / Torry Holt* – I am grouping these two together because they were so closely aligned on The Greatest Show on Turf; Led Rams to their only Super Bowl title in franchise history; 11 Pro-Bowls between the two of them *Only duo to make the list
Honorable Mentions – Steven Jackson, Salvador Perez

New Jersey
Martin Broeur – Hall of Famer; 3-time Stanley Cup Champion; 4-time Vezina Trophy winner; 1^st all-time in career Wins; 7-time NHL All-Star Team; 9-time All Star
Jason Kidd – Hall of Famer; 2^nd all-time in career Assists, 3-time All-NBA Team; 2-time Assists champion; 5-time All-Star; led Nets to only 2 NBA Finals appearances in team history
Patrik Elias – 2-time Stanley Cup Champion; 1-time NHL All-Star Team; 4-time All Star
Richard Jefferson – Led Nets to only 2 NBA Finals appearances in team history
Honorable Mentions – Vince Carter, Brook Lopez

New York
Mariano Rivera – Hall of Famer (only unanimous inductee ever); 5-time World Series Champion; 1-time World Series MVP; 1^st all-time in career Saves; 3-time Saves champion; 13-time All-Star
Derek Jeter – 5-time World Series Champion; 1-time World Series MVP; 14-time All-Star
Eli Manning – 2-time Super Bowl Champion; 2-time Super Bowl MVP; 4-time Pro-Bowler; Tom Brady’s kryptonite
Michael Strahan – Hall of Famer; 1-time Super Bowl Champion; 1-time Defensive Player of the Year; 4-time All-Pro, 7-time Pro-Bowler; record holder with most Sacks in a season
Honorable Mentions – David Wright, Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin 😊

North Carolina
Steve Smith – 8^th all-time in career Receptions; 2-time All-Pro; 1-time Receiving champion; 5-time Pro Bowler
Cam Newton – 1-time MVP; 1-time All-Pro; 3-time Pro-Bowler; led Panthers to only Super Bowl appearance in team history (Editor correction - Jake Delhomme also led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance)
Julius Peppers – 4^th all-time in career Sacks; 3-time All-Pro; 5-time Pro-Bowler
Eric Staal – Led Hurricanes to their only Stanley Cup title in franchise history; 1-time NHL All-Star Team; 4-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Kemba Walker, Jake Delhomme, Gerald Wallace, Ricky Bobby

Ohio
LeBron James – Led Cavaliers to their only NBA Finals title in franchise history; 1-time NBA Finals MVP; 2-time MVP; 10-time All-NBA Team; 1-time Scoring champion; 11-time All-Star
Joey Votto – 1-time MVP; 7-time On Base Percentage champion; 6-time All-Star
Chad Johnson – 2-time All-Pro; 1-time Receiving champion; 6-time Pro-Bowler
Joe Thomas – 6-time All-Pro; 10-time Pro Bowler (every full season in NFL)
Honorable Mentions – Kyrie Irving, Carson Palmer, Corey Kluber

Oklahoma
Russell Westbrook – Led Thunder to their only NBA Finals appearance in Oklahoma City history; 1-time MVP; 8-time All-NBA Team; 2-time Scoring champion; 2-time Assists champion; 8-time All-Star; only player in history to average triple-double for entire season, twice
Kevin Durant – Led Thunder to their only NBA Finals appearance in Oklahoma City history; 1-time MVP; 6-time All-NBA Team; 4-time Scoring champion; 7-time All-Star
Serge Ibaka – Led Thunder to their only NBA Finals appearance in Oklahoma City history; 3-time All-Defensive Team; 2-time Blocks champion
James Harden – Led Thunder to their only NBA Finals appearance in Oklahoma City history; 1-time Sixth Man of the Year
Honorable Mentions – Steven Adams, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison?

Oregon
Damian Lillard – 4-time All-NBA Team; 4-time All-Star
LaMarcus Aldridge – 4-time All-NBA Team; 4-time All-Star
Brandon Roy – 2-time All-NBA Team; 3-time All-Star
CJ McCollum – Every State needed a 4^th player
Honorable Mentions – Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudemire

Pennsylvania
Sidney Crosby – 3-time Stanley Cup Champion; 2-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner; 2-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner; 8-time NHL All-Star Team; 4-time All-Star
Ben Roethlisberger – 2-time Super Bowl Champion; 2-time Passing champion; 6-time Pro-Bowler
Allen Iverson – Hall of Famer; led 76ers to their only NBA Finals appearance this century; 1-time MVP; 7-time All-NBA Team; 4-time Scoring champion; 9-time All-Star
Evgeni Malkin – 3-time Stanley Cup Champion; 1-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner; 1-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner; 3-time NHL All-Star Team; 4-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Donovan McNabb, Andrew McCutchen, Antonio Brown

Tennessee
Chris Johnson – 1-time Offensive Player of the Year; 1-time All-Pro; 1-time Rushing champion; 3-time Pro-Bowler
Marc Gasol – 1-time Defensive Player of the Year; 3-time All-NBA Team; 3-time All-Star
Pekka Rinne – 1-time Vezina Trophy winner; 2-time NHL All-Star Team; 3-time All-Star
Shea Weber – 4-time NHL All-Star Team; 5-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Mike Conley, Pao Gasol, Eddie George

Texas
Tim Duncan – 5-time NBA Champion; 3-time NAB Finals MVP; 2-time MVP; 15-time All-NBA Team; 15-time All-Star
Dirk Nowitzki – Led Mavericks to their only NBA Finals title in franchise history; 1-time NBA Finals MVP; 1-time MVP; 12-time All-NBA Team; 14 time All-Star
James Harden – 1-time MVP; 7-time All-NBA Team; 3-time Scoring champion, 1-time Assists champion; 7-time All-Star
J.J. Watt – 3-time Defensive Player of the Year; 5-time All-Pro; 2-time Sack champion; 5-time Pro-Bowler
Honorable Mentions – Adrian Beltre, Lance Berkman, Tony Romo

Utah
Rudy Gobert – 2-time Defensive Player of the Year; 2-time All-NBA Team; 1-time Blocks champion
Deron Williams – 2-time All-NBA Team; 2-time All-Star
Andrei Kirilenko – 3-time All-Defensive Team; 1-time All-Star; 1-time Blocks champion
Gordon Hayward – 1-time All-Star; yeah, this State is hard
Honorable Mentions – Karl Malone and John Stockton?

Washington
Ichiro – 1-time MVP; 2-time Batting champion; 10-time All-Star; one of the best pure hitters this century
Russell Wilson – Led Seahawks to their only Super Bowl title in franchise history; 1-time Passer Rating champion; 6-time Pro-Bowler
Felix Hernandez – 1-time Cy Young Award winner; 2-time E.R.A. champion; 1-time Wins champion; 6-time All-Star
Shaun Alexander – 1-time MVP; 1-time All-Pro; 2-time Rushing champion; 3-time Pro-Bowler
Honorable Mentions – Pete Carroll, Ray Allen

Washington, DC
Alex Ovechkin – 1-time Stanley Cup Champion; 1-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner; 1-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner; 3-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner; 12-time NHL All-Star Team; 7-time All-Star
Max Scherzer – Led Nationals to their only World Series title in franchise history; 2-time Cy Young Award winner; 2-time Wins champion; 5-time All-Star
Stephen Strasburg – Led Nationals to their only World Series title in franchise history; 1-time Wins champion; 3-time All-Star
Bryce Harper – 1-time MVP; 1-time Home Runs champion; 6-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – John Wall, Clinton Portis

Wisconsin
Aaron Rodgers – Led Packers to their only Super Bowl title this century; 1-time Super Bowl MVP; 2-time MVP; 2-time All-Pro; led the NFL in Passer Rating, Yards, and Touchdowns numerous times; 8-time Pro-Bowler
Brett Favre – Hall of Famer; played in Green Bay until 2007, and retired as leader in almost every major NFL passing record…not much other info needed for him
Giannis Antetokounmpo – 1-time MVP; 3-time All-NBA Team; 3-time All-Star
Ryan Braun – 1-time MVP; led the League in Home Runs, Hits, Runs, Slugging Percentage, and On Base Percentage numerous times; 6-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – Donald Driver, Michael Redd

Canada (yes, I know this is not a State, but eh)
Roy Halladay – Hall of Famer; 1-time Cy Young Award winner; 2-time Wins champion; 6-time All-Star
Jarome Iginla – 2-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner; 4-time NHL All-Star Team; 6-time All-Star
Vince Carter – 2-time All-NBA Team; 6-time All-Star
Erik Karlsson – 4-time NHL All-Star Team; 4-time All-Star
Honorable Mentions – DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Chris Bosh, Daniel Alfredsson, Daniel & Henrik Sedin

So, there they are.  Now, tell me how I’m wrong and who I missed!!!

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