HE WAS A no-star recruit coming out of high school, landing at a small college before a sudden growth spurt. He didn't register on NBA scouts' radars until a couple of years later, as success didn't come immediately even at that level, and then zoomed up the draft boards into the lottery late in the process.
This once unheralded prospect just kept getting better and better after arriving in the NBA, establishing himself as a do-it-all co-star, a perfect complement to an MVP who led the league in scoring. He earned his first All-Star appearance in his third season and hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy -- for the first of several times -- before hitting his prime.