Chauncey Billups

Billups was traded and released by five teams before age 26, with his career looking finished in many observers' eyes. His eventual championship and Finals MVP with Detroit is one of the NBA's greatest perseverance stories.

His nickname 'Mr. Big Shot' was earned through a series of game-winning and series-winning shots throughout his career — most famously his three-pointer with seconds remaining that put the Pistons up for good in the 2004 Finals.

Billups grew up in Denver, Colorado, and his connection to the city extended beyond basketball — he was an ambassador for Denver long before the city developed into the major NBA market it is today.

After his playing career, Billups became head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, applying the same intelligence and composure to coaching that made him an elite player.