After getting eight of the first 32 in the first-round of the MLB Draft, the Golden State shows its strength in basketball by having five of the first 21 picks in the NBA.

By Ronnie Flores, Managing Editor

Sure, there are other places in America that have produced more household NBA names such as New York and Michigan. But it's no secret that the state of California, and in particular the greater Los Angeles area, is quickly catching up to its East Coast counterparts when it comes to producing top basketball talent.

This was clearly evident last Thursday at the NBA Draft in New York City when California products dominated the proceedings and the hoopla that surrounds the annual event. The five players that graduated from California high schools tied the record for most Golden State products taken in a single first round. That scenario last took place at the 1997 NBA Draft and first occurred in 1979.

Former Artesia of Lakewood standout James Harden, a 6-foot-5 sophomore out of Arizona State, was the first Golden State native to be selected when the Oklahoma City Thunder took him at No. 3. Despite what was considered a sub par showing in the NCAA Tournament, the Thunder couldn't pass up Harden's combination of talent, work ethic and high character, the latter which seems to be a more important factor in professional sports drafts each year.

Harden, whose bowtie generated a slew of reactions from lifestyle editors and bloggers, became the highest California product taken since Tyson Chandler was the No. 2 pick out of Dominguez of Compton in 2001. Harden's journey to the NBA has humble beginnings as he wasn't the most athletic kid growing up, to say the least, entering Artesia as a 5-foot-11, 155-pounder with average skills and a burning desire to become a better player.(Read full post)