Did you know these NBA players are from Baton Rouge, some played college basketball here?

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Celebrities from artists to professional athletes come from Baton Rouge or study here before moving on national success.

Louisiana’s capital city is home to Louisiana State University and Southern University, where several student-athletes went on to launch NBA careers. They’re among the sports greats.

Notably, basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal played for the LSU Tigers for three seasons and earned his degree from LSU.

Pete Maravich also played for LSU before going pro. He set the NCAA men’s basketball scoring record during his time as a Tiger.

With basketball season in full swing, we’ve accumulated a list of current and former NBA players from the Baton Rouge area.

Brandon Bass

Brandon Bass was a forward from Capitol High School in Baton Rouge. Bass attended LSU in 2003, according to LSU Sports. Bass earned numerous awards, such as First Team All-Louisiana in 2004, SEC Freshman of the Year, Louisiana Player of the Year in 2005 and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 2005.

Bass declared for the 2005 NBA Draft and was selected by the New Orleans Hornets in the second round. After playing for the Hornets, Bass continued to play for the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers and finished his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017, according to ESPN.

Bass then played basketball overseas in China for the Liaoning Flying Leopards from 2017 to 2020.

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Damian Jones

Damian Jones was a graduate of Scotlandville Magnet High School. Jones attended Vanderbilt University, where he played center and was awarded the 2013 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2014 All-SEC First Team and 2014 All-SEC Defensive Team, according to Vanderbilt University.

Jones was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Draft. ESPN notes that Jones played for the Warriors for three seasons. Jones won two championships with the Warriors before playing for the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento King and Utah Jazz.

Jones currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jarell Martin

Jarell Martin attended Madison Preparatory Academy in Baton Rouge. While in high school, Martin participated in the McDonald’s All-Star game, where one of his dunks was rated in the Top 10 plays on ESPN. After graduation, Martin went to LSU where he started in 25 of the team’s 34 games as a freshman forward. Martin was honored on the 2014 All-SEC Freshman Team and 2015 All-SEC First Team, according to LSU.

The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Martin in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft. Martin played for the Grizzlies for three seasons before being traded to the Orlando Magic, where he finished his professional career in 2019.

After playing in the NBA, Martin went to play overseas for the Shenzhen Aviators in China, the Sydney Kings in Australia and Maccabi tel Aviv in Israel. Martin plays for Galatasaray in Turkey.

Skylar Mays

Skylar Mays was a guard born in Baton Rouge who moved to Nevada and attended Findlay Preparatory for his senior season. After graduating, Mays returned to Baton Rouge and played for LSU. While in college, Mays earned All-SEC Second Team in 2019, All-SEC First Team in 2020, SEC McWhorter Award, and SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2019 and 2020, according to LSU.

In 2020, Mays was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the draft. After playing for the Hawks for two seasons, Mays headed to Oregon to play for the Portland Trailblazers and then on to Los Angeles, where he currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Bob Pettit

Bob Pettit was a forward who attended Baton Rouge High School. Pettit stayed in Baton Rouge and attended LSU. Pettit was a three-time All-SEC member who led the Tigers to second place in the NCAA finals in 1952, NCAA Final Four in 1953, and conference titles in 1953 and 1954. Pettit led the SEC in scoring for three years.

By 1954, Pettit was drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks and played for the franchise for 11 years. Pettit led the Hawks to an NBA Championship and five NBA Finals. Pettit also earned MVP for the All-Star game four times. Pettit was the first to break the 20,000-point barrier in 1964. While in the league, LSU retired Pettit’s jersey, number 50, according to LSU.

Pettit coached the St. Louis Hawks for about six games in 1961. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970, and by 1997, he was named one of 50 greatest players in NBA history.

Bobby Phills

Bobby Phills was a forward who attended the Southern University Lab School. After graduating, Phills stayed on the college campus and attended Southern University. By the time he got to college, Phills was shorter than the average forward position, and an upperclassman already secured that position.

According to the Bobby Phills Foundation site, the starting shooting guard was injured and the head coach was looking for a replacement. Phills began to work his way to becoming in the starting lineup. Over his four years, Phills became one of the best players Southern University has seen.

In the 1991 NBA Draft, Phills was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Phills was the only HBCU player drafted that year. The Bucks later dropped Phills, and the Cleveland Cavaliers picked him up on a 10-day contract. After showcasing his talents, Phills was offered a contract and played for the Cavaliers for the next three seasons.

Phills became a free agent and signed a seven-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets. In 2000, Phills died in a car accident in North Carolina, according to ESPN.

Javonte Smart

Javonte Smart is a graduate of Scotlandville Magnet High School. Before heading to LSU, Smart was a four-star recruit, helped Scotlandville win numerous titles and championships, and was a three-time Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year and Class 5A Most Outstanding Player at the guard position. While at LSU, Smart earned honors on the All-Louisiana First Team and All-SEC Second Team in 2021, according to LSU Sports.

Smart went undrafted and signed with the Miami Heat’s affiliate team, Sioux Falls Sky Force in 2021. In 2022, Smart then joined the Birmingham Squadron, the G-League team of the New Orleans Pelicans. After one season with the Squadron, Smart then joined the Philadephia 76ers in the Summer League before being waived to play for their affiliate team, the Delaware Blue Coats, according to the G-League website.

Smart is currently listed on the roster for the EuroLeague team, Crvena Zvezda in Serbia.

Tyrus Thomas

Tyrus Thomas attended McKinley Senior High School. While at McKinley, Thomas earned Defensive MVP in the local 7-4A, All-Metro and All-State Second Team in Class 4A. After graduating, Thomas went on to play for LSU. While at the collegiate level, Thomas was honored with multiple achievements in only his freshman season. He was announced as the SEC Freshman of the Week on multiple occasions, National Freshman of the Week, SEC Freshman of the Year, and NCAA Atlanta Region MVP, according to LSU Sports.

Thomas was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the 2006 NBA Draft. Thomas was later traded to the Chicago Bulls on draft night. Thomas played for the Bulls for four seasons. Thomas then went on to play for the then Charlotte Bobcats for four seasons, before ending his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2014-2015 season. In 2015, Thomas took his talents overseas to Germany to play for Eisbären Bremerhaven.

Thomas is now an assistant coach at Liberty Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, according to the high school’s athletic website.

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Marcus Thorton

Marcus Thorton is a Baton Rouge native who went to Tara High School. After graduating, Thorton attended Kilgore College in Texas. Thorton transferred to LSU after completing the two-year university. While at LSU, Thorton earned honor,s including the 2009 SEC Player of the Year and 2009 Louisiana Player of the Year, according to LSU Sports.

Thorton was drafted by the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft but was traded to the then-New Orleans Hornets. Thorton played two seasons with the Hornets before playing for the Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. Thorton ended his NBA career with two seasons at the Washington Wizards in 2017.

Thorton entered the G-League and played for the Denver Nuggets affiliate team, Grand Rapids Gold. For one season, Thorton headed overseas and played for the Beijing Ducks. Thorton returned to North America and played for the Grand Rapids Gold for another season before ending his G-League career in Detroit with the Motor City Cruise.

Garrett Temple

Garrett Temple attended University High School on the LSU campus. While at University High, Temple was a dual-athlete playing basketball and running track. According to LSU Sports, Temple helped lead the team to a 2004 state championship. After graduating, he stayed in Baton Rouge and went to LSU. In college, the 6-foot-6-inch guard was honored on multiple All-SEC teams in his senior season.

Temple went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft but signed with the Houston Rockets. Temple went on to play for other teams, including Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans.

Temple currently plays for the Toronto Raptors.

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