{"id":1314,"date":"2013-03-17T15:24:53","date_gmt":"2013-03-17T20:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=1314"},"modified":"2021-07-20T23:26:14","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T04:26:14","slug":"top-5-irish-nba-basketball-players-ever-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/top-5-irish-nba-basketball-players-ever-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Irish NBA Basketball Players Ever (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, who are the five best Irish basketball players to suck down a green beer and play in the NBA? The list is short, drunk, and VERY pale.<\/h2>\n

The only Irish player in history born and bred in Ireland to play in the NBA was Pat Burke, a 6-11 center who spent three years with the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns.<\/p>\n

Insert him into this list wherever you like, there is room “O’plenty.”<\/p>\n

You could also add Rick Barry to this O’list as you please.<\/p>\n

6. Pat Connaughton
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pat Connaughton just won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks. A former basketball and baseball player for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Connaughton is Irish AF.<\/p>\n

He was selected by the Orioles in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft<\/a>. The Brooklyn Nets selected him in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft and traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n

Connaughton played the best basketball of his professional career in the 2021 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

5. Marty\u00a0Conlon<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Conlon was a 6-10 lumbering big man who specialized in…uh…being big. And Irish, in that order.<\/p>\n

In nine NBA seasons he played for eight teams, including the Boston Celtics who as a franchise, have always had an affinity for large, slow, white men (Brian Sclabrine types). Conlon also had an extremely weird form when shooting free throws.<\/p>\n

4. Chris\u00a0Mullin<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Without a doubt, the best Irish shooter in NBA\u00a0history<\/a> was Chris\u00a0Mullin. Not only that, but he was probably the best pure scorer as well.<\/p>\n

“Mullie” averaged 25+ ppg in five straight seasons from ’88-’89 to ’92-’93. Check out these highlights from when he went head to head with the greatest non-Irish basketball player of all-time, Michael Jordan:<\/p>\n