You'd think that New Mexico would be home to more than just a couple of elite, pro-level basketball players due to their proximity to California. But, surprisingly, there are only a handful of NBA players from the border state that have played more than a full season in the NBA. However, the 6'6 power forward, Bill Bridges, hailing from Hobbs, New Mexico is more than deserving to hold the crown for his hometown state. Prior to entering the NBA, in 1961, Bridges entered the American Basketball League as a member of the Kansas City Steers where in his second season he lead the league in scoring.
In 1964, Bridges finagled his way into the NBA and played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors where he won his first and only NBA Championship in his final season in 1975. Averaging a career double-double of 11.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, Bridges was also a 3x NBA All-Star (1967, 1968, 1970). Unfortunately, Bridges lost his battle with cancer at the age of 75-years-old in September 2015. With that said, thank you for pushing the game forward and holding New Mexico down. Rest well.
Most of your favorite celebrities either studied acting in college or went straight from high school into a life of the arts. But, hey, not all of them. Some celebrities actually have advanced college degrees.
Turns out Mayim Bialik is just as much of a genius as the one she plays on The Big Bang Theory. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on obsessive compulsive disorder among people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition in which the hypothalamus malfunctions.
Little known fact: Natalie Portman skipped the premiere of Star Wars: Phantom Menace because she was studying for her high school exams. She had two papers published in scientific journals while she was still in high school, and graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Psychology.
Before he was looking for answers on X-Files, David Duchovny was just trying to find the answers for English finals at Princeton University90. David graduated from Princeton in 1982 with a B.A in English. He continued to feed his love of literature by receiving a master’s degree in English Literature at Yale University. David was an excellent writer and poet. His work consistently received praise by his fellow classmates and teachers at Yale. His writing was even nominated for a college prize by the Academy of American Poets.
Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford University in 1971 with a bachelor’s in Literature. It was while studying at Stanford that Sigourney realized her true passion in life was to become an actress. Shortly after graduation, she attended Yale for their well-known drama program. She would go on to receive a master’s in Acting from Yale University and become friends with fellow famous actress Meryl Streep.
Meryl Streep is considered one of the most successful actresses of all time. She is also one of the most highly educated. Before collecting an array of Oscars, Meryl collected diplomas. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in 1971. Meryl has a habit of being unsatisfied with impressive accomplishments as her acting career has shown, so she attended Yale University and earned a master’s degree in Acting.