No. 3: Al Attles
Al Attles very nearly wasn't an NBA player at all; he had a job lined up to coach junior high school basketball in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey when the then-Philadelphia Warriors drafted him and convinced him to come to training camp, an invitation he initially declined.
Thankfully for Attles and the Warriors, the talented point guard did report to training camp in 1960. He would go on to play all 11 seasons of his career for the Warriors, not as a flashy scorer or dominant rebounder, but simply as a useful, steady hand in the backcourt who excelled defensively locking down other guards.
Attles was the player most responsible for feeding Wilt Chamberlain the ball during his famous 100-point game; Attles was the second-leading scorer with 17 points. He played his role on a number of strong teams, including multiple trips to the NBA Finals where his teams would ultimately come up short.
After his playing career Attles would finally get his wish and coach basketball, but this time he did so in the NBA. He took over as player-coach of the Warriors and then was at the helm for their championship run in 1975.