With March Madness in full swing here is a look at IrishCentral’s top five Irish-American NBA players.

John Stockton

Some describe him as the best NBA point guards there ever was. In his college years he played for Gonzaga and was named All-NBA First Team after entering the NBA. Stockton made it to the all-star gane 9 consecutive times 1988 through 1997. He retired aged 41 after 19 seasons with Utah Jazz. He was one of the best leading in the NBA with 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals. Stockton was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

Kevin McHale

With incredible long arms and legs, McHale won three championships and two NBA Sixth Man Awards during his 13-year career with the Boston Celts. Originally from a small town in Minnesota's Iron Range, when he retired in 1994 he was the fourth-leading scorer and sixth-best rebounder in Celtics history. McHale ranks ninth in the NBA in career field goal percentage. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

Chris Mullin

After playing at St. John’s University, Mullin was chosen as the seventh pick by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1985 MBA draft. The Queen’s man wore jersey no 17 in honor of his boyhood hero legend John Havlicek. A quick and sure jump shot enabled him to average 18.2 point per game over his 16-year career. He was a five time all star.

Bill Walton

Despite the controversies that surround much of his career, Waltom was originally drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974. He later signed with the San Diego Clippers (5/13/79) and then traded to Boston (9/6/85).  During his 13 year stint in the league, he played in only 44 percent of regular season contests but still managed to leave the game with a modest 13.3 scoring average.

Rick Barry

Originally drafted by the San Francisco Warriors in  1965, Barry’s name appears at the top of every all-time offensive list. He scored more than 25,000 points in his professional career and in four different seasons averaged more than 30 points.  He was named to 12 All-Star teams, four All-NBA First Teams, and five All-ABA First Teams.

****Statistics sourced from NBA Encyclopedia Playoff Edition