Normally, when a player becomes a five-time All-Star in the National Basketball League, they enter the league, albeit with trepidation, but with confidence that they could eventually reach the top tier. And then there is Don Ohl.

Ohl did well in his final season at Illinois and was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors in the 5^th Round of the 1958 Draft, but he never reported and felt he wasn’t good enough.  Instead, he played for Peoria of the National Industrial Basketball League, and led them to an AAU Tournament win in Denver.  Later, he tried out for the U.S. Olympic Team, and though he did not make it, he proved to scouts and, more importantly, to himself that he could play on basketball’s biggest stage.  Detroit traded for his rights, and off he went to the NBA.

Playing at Guard, Ohl was not a flashy player but was durable and consistent.  Ohl was more than solid at both ends of the court, and he developed a scoring touch that saw him score at least 17 Points for six seasons in a row (1961-62 to 1966-67), with the last two exceeding 20 Points.  Over this time period, Ohl had five consecutive All-Stars (1963-67), but it was split between two teams.   The Baltimore Bullets traded for Ohl in an eight-player deal in 1964, and his best seasons of his peak period were as a Bullet.  Ohl helped Baltimore reach their first conference final, and though they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, Ohl not only proved he belonged, but that he could hang with the best.

Ohl was traded to the St. Louis Hawks in 1968, and concluded his career as the team relocated to Atlanta for two more seasons.

The pro career of Simeon Rice began in 1996 when he was drafted third overall by the Arizona Cardinals.   Playing at Defensive End, Rice proved his worth instantly with a 12.5 Sack year and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year.  Rice played with the Cardinals for five seasons and had three 10 plus Sack years there, peaking with 16.5 in 1998, which was good enough for second overall.

The third overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, Deron Williams had taken the University of Illinois Fighting Illini to the NCAA Championship Game prior to being drafted.  While Illinois lost to UNC, Williams established himself as a future NBA Star, which was what he would become. 

Derek Harper was the partner in crime and backcourt mate of Rolando Blackman for almost a decade in Dallas.  Ironically the closest they ever came to a title is when they were both traded to the Knicks and they came within one game of winning the championship in 1994.  Harper was one of the best all around point guards of his era as he was a great defender who had size and quickness and could both score and distribute.  Harper is widely regarded as one of the best players to never make an All-Star game and when he retired he was 11th in steals and 17th in assists in NBA history.  1,200 regular season games and over 16,000 points don’t hurt his argument either.  Is a solid and consistent career with good overall stats enough to get him in?

A great shooter throughout his long career, Johnson scored more points (over 19,000) of any player never to make an All-Star game.  Please do not confuse him with Fast Eddie Johnson, the point guard and a criminal who is incarcerated for life in Florida for many crimes. This Eddie is the real deal and a great player who was clutch throughout his career and had the smoothest jump shot this side of Silk Wilkes.

Johnny “Red” Kerr was the original big red head will always have a place in basketball history. Kerr had a very solid career as a player, a coach and finally as a legendary announcer kept him in the NBA spotlight for over 55 years.  However, it is his playing career that will determine if he belongs in the Hall of Fame or not.  Kerr was a vital part of the Syracuse Nationals which became the Philadelphia 76ers for all but one of his 13 years.  He led the University of Illinois to a Final Four in college and then led the Syracuse Nationals to their only championship in 1955.