We're wrapping up the NBA portion of our "Surprise Hall of Famers" series this week with the Nets. This number will grow in the coming years with Vince Carter and Paul Pierce, but throughout all of its iterations the franchise has only 12 Hall of Famers, most notably Julius Erving and Jason Kidd. But do you remember these other basketball legends suiting up in Brooklyn, New Jersey or Long Island?
(Click to view our other teams in the series: Yankees | Red Sox | Mets | Giants | Jets | Celtics | Knicks... note the Patriots' don't qualify for this list)
Nate Archibald: The best player for the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, "Tiny" was an All-NBA First Team selection in all three of his healthy seasons in KCO, including a 1973 season in which he led the league in both scoring and assists. However, in 1975-76 the Kings finished just 31-51 and a rebuild was on, leading to Archibald being traded to the Nets for a pair of players and a pair of first-round draft picks. Injuries, however, limited him to just 34 games with New York and that offseason he was dealt to the Buffalo Braves. A torn Achilles prevented him from ever playing for Buffalo, and he was dealt again to Boston, where he'd regain his All-Star form.
Rick Barry: One of the best players in Bay Area basketball history, Barry is synonymous with California. He started his career with the San Francisco Warriors, joined the Oakland Oaks of the ABA, and eventually found his way back in the NBA in 1972 with the renamed Golden State Warriors, where he'd win Finals MVP in 1975. In between all of that was a two-year pit stop with the Nets, with whom he'd light up the league. In both 1970-71 (29.4 points) and '71-72 (31.5 points) he led the league in scoring before going back to the NBA for the '72-73 season.
Maurice Cheeks: The second appearance on this list for Cheeks, who spent two seasons with the Knicks. After being traded from New York to Atlanta, the wheels fell off a bit as he averaged 4.6 points and 3.3 assists in a reserve role in 1991-92. An unrestricted free agent, Cheeks spent his final professional season with the Nets, where he played just 35 games. A reserve player, he averaged 3.6 points and 3.1 assists before retiring at season's end.
Mel Daniels: A name of which you may not be overly familiar, Daniels was one of the best players in ABA history. The league's all-time leading rebounder, he made seven All-Star appearances, won three championships, two MVP awards and has his number retired by the Pacers. However in 1975 he was playing for the Memphis Sounds, who relocated to Baltimore. Before the season the team folded, and instead of joining another ABA team he played in Italy for '75-76. The next year the ABA and NBA merged, and he signed as a free agent with the Nets. With a chronic back issue, at age 32 he played just 11 games with New York, averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds before being waived and retiring.
Kevin Garnett: If you're a Nets fan, you know the trade and probably hate it. If you're a Celtics fan, you love it. Going "all-in" after winning 49 games in 2012-13, Brooklyn made one of the largest trades in NBA history, sending five players and four (!) first-round draft picks to Boston for Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, DJ White and a couple of 2017 draft picks. We all know what happened next: Brooklyn never really came together and within two years were a sub-.500 team, wound up handing the Celtics multiple lottery picks and are just recently showing signs of life.
As for KG, at age 37 his scoring production plummeted (career-low 6.5 points per game) and midway through his second season was traded from Brooklyn back to Minnesota, with whom he spent the first 12 seasons of his career.
Bob McAdoo: All five of his All-Star seasons came with Buffalo and New York, but the Nets became his fourth team in three seasons when he was brought on late in the 1980-81 season. After a dispute with Detroit he was released and wound up signing with New Jersey, where he played the final 10 games of the year. He averaged 9.3 points per game for the moribund franchise, who'd finish 24-58. That offseason he had surgery and had a contract dispute with the Nets front office, so he didn't play at the start of '81-82 before being traded just before Christmas to the Lakers, with whom he'd finish his career.
Alonzo Mourning: One of the best defensive players of all-time, Zo missed all of 2002-03 with a kidney disease, but was cleared for the following season and signed a four-year deal to join the Nets. But after signing in July, he retired from the NBA in November due to more complications that eventually led to a transplant. Upon his return to the league the following season he played in only 12 games, the next year averaged 25.4 minutes a night and wound up getting traded to Toronto after going public with his displeasure. He never played for the Raptors, and the former Defensive Player of the Year returned to Miami for the remainder of his career.
Dikembe Mutumbo: Another appearance for Mutumbo, who followed up his lone year in New Jersey with a one-year stop in New York. When he was traded to the Nets he was a 36-year-old coming off five consecutive All-Star appearances between Atlanta and Philly, while New Jersey was coming off a Finals appearance and looking to bulk up inside. However, an injury limited him to 24 games, where he averaged a career-low 5.8 points and 1.5 blocks per game. Though the Nets returned to the Finals, Mutumbo played just 10 games in the playoff run, and he was bought out that offseason.