Five best NBA careers in Ohio State basketball history

While no one thinks of them, the Ohio State basketball program has produced a lot of NBA-level talent. The Buckeyes have produced some of the best players of all time. While they don't have the pedigree of a Kentucky or a Duke, they still get underrated. Jake Diebler is trying to change that.

Our goal today is to give you the five best NBA careers of former Ohio State basketball players. A lot of factors go into this. Longevity, awards, and statistics all go into this list, as does how much their team won while they were playing for them. A lot of different things are considered.

We will start with five and move our way down to one. The first one on this list is an Ohio guy through and through.

5. Jim Jackson

Jim Jackson was one of the most exciting players to come through the Ohio State basketball program. He was the very first Mr. Basketball in the state of Ohio and he actually won it in back-to-back seasons. He won it in both 1988 and 1989 while playing for Toledo Macomber.

After that, he decided to head to Columbus. He was excellent and was a First-team All-American and led the Buckeyes to the Elite Eight in his junior season. After that, he declared for the Draft and was the fourth overall pick in 1992 by the Dallas Mavericks.

While Jackson was never an All-Star, he had a long and prosperous career. He played for 14 seasons and was with a whopping 12 teams. He was always valuable enough to find a roster spot somewhere because he could shoot and score. Over the course of his career, he averaged 14.3 points per game and shot 36.5% from three.

Jackson was always an asset. He finished ninth in the Most Improved Player voting in 1994-95 and also finished tenth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2004-5. One thing that eluded him was an All-Star selection and a championship. He never got to raise the Larry O'Brien trophy.

The next guy on this list is actually still playing in the NBA right now.