The eleventh pick of the 1974 NBA Draft enjoyed a pretty good rookie season with the Golden State Warriors, earning the Rookie of the Year award thanks to his solid 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game averages and winning the NBA Championship. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The triple double machine keeps climbing the NBA ladder despite being one of the most underrated players through his career, mostly because he spent most of it playing alongside Kevin Durant. Double Double has put up some pretty decent averages through his NBA Career despite his constant injuries, averaging 18.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, earning 3 All-Star Games appearances and he also owns the record for most rebounds in a game for the Timberwolves, cleaning the glass 31 times against the New York Knicks in 2011. Bill Walton Shared the Message Larry Bird Had Before Playing the Greatest Game That He Ever Played. He loved Wooden. Two obvious names come to mind, but lets take a walk down memory lane and look at the greatest to ever don the blue and gold. The former leading 3-point shooter in the NBA (averaging just over 48% from deep) and 2 time All-Star was a complete scoring machine, averaging 19.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game through his 13 year career, being a regular starter for the Denver Nuggets, the Portland Trail Blazers, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers, before retiring and becoming a head coach, having a failed stint with the New Jersey Nets. While it is next to impossible to live up to the winning expectations cemented during the Wooden Era there is much to be said about their recent track record as well. The Bruins have won 11National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Division I Basketball Championships, including 10 under coach John Wooden, which gives them the most of any school. UCLA Highlights: 2-time NCAA champion, 2-time All-American. His scoring average was impressive for a shooter without the service of the three-point line, breaking the 20PPG threshold for a decade on 45% FG and 80% from the stripe. One note about the top two players on this list: the talent level gets bananas from here on out. He would fall off in later years as the Warriors would commit to a rebuild around Monta Ellis and later Steph Curry. A large part of their success was due to the teams they put together under legendary coach John Wooden in the 60s and 70s but they still continue to put a great product out on the court today. They rank 7th all-time in wins and have a total of 11 NCAA titles under their belt. He was selected in the first round of the 1989, Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Here was this wonderful guy who loved basketball, loved teaching, loved coaching, loved building teams and getting guys to work together, and it was just absolutely spectacular.. The former UCLA player was All-Pac-10 two times and won an All-Pac-10 tournament MVP. This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. He never started practice with these words: So what do you guys want to do today? The Knicks killer, the trash talker and arguably the first real three point shooting threat of the NBA was also a UCLA Bruin before becoming arguably the most important player in Pacers history. . He is a nine-time NBA All-Star, Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his first game at UCLA, Alcindor scored 56 points, which set a UCLA single-game record. The center almost averaged a double-double through his career with averages of 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, being more of a defensive specialist and a key piece of the Championship winners Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 thanks to his outstanding performances against the Philadelphia 76ers. Coach John Wooden led UCLA to 10 titles in 12 seasons, including seven straight. He has six rings to his name, as well as two Finals MVP trophies, and is synonymous with the most unstoppable shot in NBA history: the skyhook. You may remember that team as the We Believe Warriors, only the third 8th seed in league history to make it past the first round of the playoffs. Your email address will not be published. Do you have a sports website? He invented all the drills. The best basketball players in UCLA history! However, one accolade stands above the rest for the sweet-shooting big man: his 2010-11 rebounding championship. That act of faith alone is a great sign of the respect the entire basketball nation had for the Bruins. Theres no question the NBA has changed throughout the years. He is a two-time NBA All-Star. Playing side by side with Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, Goodrich still managed to become a very prominent player, becoming the leading scorer for that Lakers team and becoming one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history thanks to his more than 19000 career points and his averages of 18.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. Ball was selected 2nd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and played a few years with the Lakers before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans before the 2019-20 season. UCLA Highlights: 3-time NCAA champion, 3-time All American, Naismith Award Winner. He was a crafty ball handler and had an excellent court vision to find his teammates. By the time Millers junior year came around, he averaged 25.9 points per game. Walton led the Bruins to back to back undrafted season and 88 game winning streak. Can LeBron James Become The Greatest Scorer In NBA History? UCLA Highlights: 2-time NCAA champion, 3-time Naismith Award Winner, 3-time All American. Lets start with the stats and records: 1st in all-time career points (38,873), 3rd in career rebounds (17,440), tied-1st in MVP awards (6), and 3rd in career blocks (3,189). Which begs the question: who are the greatest NBA players to play at UCLA? As stated above, the 5x All-Star and 1x All-NBA guard also made his mark as the safety valve for a bunch of iconic Lakers teams and feasted off of open looks generated by the attention given to stars like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and an older Wilt Chamberlain. Youll be fine. He lived by the mantra that players make plays, plays dont make players. In their long basketball history, the Bruins won 11 NCAA titles. Although his progress has really been cut short since becoming the third offensive option on the current NBA Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was the best player the Minnesota Timberwolves had since letting Kevin Garnett walk away to the Boston Celtics. As a California kid, Wilkes was a silky scorer in high school and it made sense to head to the best team in the country right down the road from his hometown. Kevin Loves stint at UCLA was only one season but he truly made the most of it. But for a few magical years, Baron Davis and the Warriors lit the world on fire. RELATED: Bill Walton Shared the Message Larry Bird Had Before Playing the Greatest Game That He Ever Played. Many colleges have long traditions of NCAA basketball that breed great talent for the NBA. On top of that, hes the second player with most games played, 8th in career field goal percentage, third in rebounds, 41st in assists, 3rd in blocked shots (although blocks werent counted until the 73-74 season) and 12th in points per game average. In John Woodens world, we never watched film. @kaj33's Rookie Season: 28.8 PTS & 14.5 REBRookie Of The Year All-StarAll-NBA 2nd teamAll-Defensive 2nd team3rd in MVP Votingpic.twitter.com/27PqM0TE5I, Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 18, 2020. He averaged 14 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds in college and won Pac-12 Rookie of the Year while also being named an All-American. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He will not be nearly as revered as Goodrich or Davis in the minds of fans, but he beats the snot out of both of them in two of the things they were good at, shooting (37% 3FG) and the all-important Player Efficiency Rating (21.5). He never used a blackboard. Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers. When thinking of some of the best college basketball programs of all time, the UCLA Bruins are one of the best. Let us know below in the comments! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. His accolades also speak for themselves (ROY, 2x All-NBA, 5x All-Star, 2016 NBA champion). As a freshman, Alcindor averaged 29 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. We had the time of our lives. LeBron James picked Kevin Love for a reason, after all. Stanford Basketball All-Time Starting Five, College Basketball Winners & Losers: Jan. 8, 2022, March Madness: UCLA Basketball Upsets The Wolverines, March Madness: UCLA Basketball Takes Care of Abilene Christian in the Round of 32, The Basketball Tournament 2022: Bleed Green Team Profile, The Basketball Tournament 2022: Lone Star Legends Team Profile, The Basketball Tournament 2022: Founding Fathers Team Profile, The Basketball Tournament 2022: Fully Loaded Team Profile. 
M.J was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks before playing for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, where he retired in 1980. Find out more. , Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) March 31, 2021. He guided the team to the first of two straight championships by averaging 21.1 points and 15.5 rebounds, earning the award for the NCAAs top player. Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. And he made it that way. Today, the three-point shot has replaced the traditional post-up style of basketball played by centers like Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is a 5-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA selection and he won the 2015-16 NBA title playing a huge role on that Cleveland Cavaliers team alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Kentucky is second in that category winning eight overall titles. In his three years at UCLA, the Bruins won 88 games and only lost two. Why? As a three-time college player of the year, Walton led the Bruins to national titles in 1972 and 1973. Loves pro career has been extremely successful. During his stint at UCLA, Walton led the Bruins to an 88-game win streak and the two consecutive championships. As a senior, Miller led the Bruins to a Pac-10 regular-season and tournament championships. Also, in his senior season, the three-point line was put in place, and Miller shot 43% from behind the arc. The Bruins also won three straight NCAA titles when Alcindor was there as well. Walton simply dominated at UCLA. He is a former student manager for the Bruins under coach, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Division I Basketball Championships, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor, "201415 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide", "NBA & ABA Players Who Attended University of California, Los Angeles", "NBA Draft Picks From University of California, Los Angeles", "From UCLA to NBA, former Bruins appreciate Ben Howland's help", "UCLA looks for first NCAA baseball title", "The legend is fading; UCLA basketball monster can't live up to its ferocious past", "Wilkes Wants Name Changed to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef", "12 Fun Facts About 12 Flag Raiser Kenny Easley", "Utah Jazz: Marathon NBA drafts of yesteryear led to some amazing selections", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_UCLA_Bruins_in_the_NBA&oldid=1094923930, Lists of college basketball players in the NBA, Lists of National Basketball Association draftees by college basketball team, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from April 2022, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Wikipedia articles scheduled for update tagging, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The number of times the player had been selected to play in the, Denotes player who was still active in the NBA during the, Former UCLA player who was drafted by the NBA, This page was last edited on 25 June 2022, at 10:41. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Wilkes, who played alongside Bill Walton, won two titles and was also a part of the Bruins team who won 88 consecutive games. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by WordPress. When thinking of some of the, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. For that memorable playoff run, Davis put his money where his mouth was, averaging 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds through the run. UCLA is arguably the most successful college basketball program in the history of the sport. He was never flashy, spectacular, or engaging, except in his brilliance on the court. People forget Kevin Love. 
One place Walton always seemed to do the right thing was on the basketball court. 51 years ago today, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 in his NBA debut. Russell Westbrook is storm and fury personified. Hes just 28 years old and his playing the best ball of his career, making a very strong case for this years MVP award. While we cant dissect every former players career, below is a list of all of them and a deep dive on some of the more notable ones. Join our linker program. In high, Curtis Rowe, Jr. (born July 2, 1949) is an American retired basketball player. He played college basketball for, Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. With his 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, Wicks became a very dominant player and easily won the Rookie of the Year award, and even if he never became the monster everybody thought he would be, he still managed to earn 4 All-Star Game appearances. All rights reserved. 
Top Five March Madness Performances And Moments From Current NBA Stars. These lists feature the best college basketball programs, as well as some that are knocking on the door of earning college basketball blue blood status. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. There was never a moment that we thought that he was doing this to promote himself or to get rich himself or to draw attention to himself. Stats shown are for the player's NBA & ABA or WNBA career, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball. The reason for these successes is due to the teams they have had and the amazing talent that has played at UCLA. So naturally, here is a list of the best UCLA Bruins of all time! The power forward still has a lot left in his tank, as the former 5th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft is just 28 years old. When Gail Goodrich was done playing at UCLA, he was the schools all-time leading scorer and played on two championship teams. [1] Many former players advanced to play professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bill Walton is also one of the most dominant players ever to play the sport of basketball. We only had five or six drills. Davis would hop around the league for a bit before retiring quietly in 2012. Also, Mr. On top of that, several NBA players were born and raised on the streets of Cali: Ron Adams, Ray Allen, Baron Davis, Jason Collins, Scott Brooks, Paul Pierce, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, James Harden, Brandon Jennings, Jason Kidd, Steve Kerr, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Korver, the Lopez twins, Kevin Love, Reggie Miller, Tayshaun Prince, Russell Westbrook and Klay Thompson are just a some of the hundreds of NBA players from this state. While Lonzo Ball hasnt yet reached his potential as a pro player, he is projected to become an elite player in the league, and there is no arguing his time at UCLA, while short, was spectacular. Things he did, today have been proven wrong. But now that hes fully committed to stay with the Thunder and run the show for the team that trusted him with the 4th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, the Brodie has become a monster, being the only player to average a triple-double throughout an entire season since Oscar Robertson did so several years ago. While there are currently 13 players representing UCLA on NBA rosters, the Bruins have been responsible for producing some of the greatest NBA players in the history of the league. He was a 6-time MVP and still leads the league in total points ever scored. Every coach I ever had as a child was a John Wooden disciple, so thats all we knew. After the Bruins lost in the Final Four, Westbrook decided to enter the NBA Draft and was selected 4th overall to the Seattle Supersonics, who relocated to Oklahoma City less than a week later. The Greatest UCLA Basketball Players of All Time, Vote up the best players in the history of UCLA Men's Basketball, Many colleges have long traditions of NCAA basketball that breed great talent for the NBA. It was like, OK, were in shape. 
His time at UCLA was turbulent as the Vietnam War raged on and Walton stuck his neck out to protest the war while doubling as the best college basketball player in the nation. Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). [1] As of the 202122season[update], 99 former UCLA players have played in the NBA.[a]. Now that our trip down memory lane is over, lets take a look at some current former Bruins that currently play in the league. Copyright 2000-2022 Sports Reference LLC. The former third pick in the 1977 NBA Draft also earned a spot on this list thanks to his eleven-season career and his outstanding scoring ability, being yet another successful shooting guard with a killer instinct and amazing moves to leave defenders behind. While that wouldnt fly today, it worked for Walton, who became a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He spoke about college players who are one-and-done before declaring for the NBA. He is an underrated passer, especially out of the outlet, and can score on all three levels of the court. Here are a couple of notable historic Bruins that excelled in the NBA as well. Best All-Time UCLA Bruins to Play in the NBA. Under Wooden, Walton said, there was no drinking water, no set plays, and never any timeouts. The following former Bruins were selected in the NBA draft but never played a game in the league.
M.J was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks before playing for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, where he retired in 1980. Find out more. , Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) March 31, 2021. He guided the team to the first of two straight championships by averaging 21.1 points and 15.5 rebounds, earning the award for the NCAAs top player. Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. And he made it that way. Today, the three-point shot has replaced the traditional post-up style of basketball played by centers like Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is a 5-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA selection and he won the 2015-16 NBA title playing a huge role on that Cleveland Cavaliers team alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Kentucky is second in that category winning eight overall titles. In his three years at UCLA, the Bruins won 88 games and only lost two. Why? As a three-time college player of the year, Walton led the Bruins to national titles in 1972 and 1973. Loves pro career has been extremely successful. During his stint at UCLA, Walton led the Bruins to an 88-game win streak and the two consecutive championships. As a senior, Miller led the Bruins to a Pac-10 regular-season and tournament championships. Also, in his senior season, the three-point line was put in place, and Miller shot 43% from behind the arc. The Bruins also won three straight NCAA titles when Alcindor was there as well. Walton simply dominated at UCLA. He is a former student manager for the Bruins under coach, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Division I Basketball Championships, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor, "201415 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide", "NBA & ABA Players Who Attended University of California, Los Angeles", "NBA Draft Picks From University of California, Los Angeles", "From UCLA to NBA, former Bruins appreciate Ben Howland's help", "UCLA looks for first NCAA baseball title", "The legend is fading; UCLA basketball monster can't live up to its ferocious past", "Wilkes Wants Name Changed to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef", "12 Fun Facts About 12 Flag Raiser Kenny Easley", "Utah Jazz: Marathon NBA drafts of yesteryear led to some amazing selections", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_UCLA_Bruins_in_the_NBA&oldid=1094923930, Lists of college basketball players in the NBA, Lists of National Basketball Association draftees by college basketball team, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from April 2022, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Wikipedia articles scheduled for update tagging, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The number of times the player had been selected to play in the, Denotes player who was still active in the NBA during the, Former UCLA player who was drafted by the NBA, This page was last edited on 25 June 2022, at 10:41. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Wilkes, who played alongside Bill Walton, won two titles and was also a part of the Bruins team who won 88 consecutive games. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by WordPress. When thinking of some of the, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. For that memorable playoff run, Davis put his money where his mouth was, averaging 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds through the run. UCLA is arguably the most successful college basketball program in the history of the sport. He was never flashy, spectacular, or engaging, except in his brilliance on the court. People forget Kevin Love. One place Walton always seemed to do the right thing was on the basketball court. 51 years ago today, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 in his NBA debut. Russell Westbrook is storm and fury personified. Hes just 28 years old and his playing the best ball of his career, making a very strong case for this years MVP award. While we cant dissect every former players career, below is a list of all of them and a deep dive on some of the more notable ones. Join our linker program. In high, Curtis Rowe, Jr. (born July 2, 1949) is an American retired basketball player. He played college basketball for, Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. With his 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, Wicks became a very dominant player and easily won the Rookie of the Year award, and even if he never became the monster everybody thought he would be, he still managed to earn 4 All-Star Game appearances. All rights reserved. Top Five March Madness Performances And Moments From Current NBA Stars. These lists feature the best college basketball programs, as well as some that are knocking on the door of earning college basketball blue blood status. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. There was never a moment that we thought that he was doing this to promote himself or to get rich himself or to draw attention to himself. Stats shown are for the player's NBA & ABA or WNBA career, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball. The reason for these successes is due to the teams they have had and the amazing talent that has played at UCLA. So naturally, here is a list of the best UCLA Bruins of all time! The power forward still has a lot left in his tank, as the former 5th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft is just 28 years old. When Gail Goodrich was done playing at UCLA, he was the schools all-time leading scorer and played on two championship teams. [1] Many former players advanced to play professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bill Walton is also one of the most dominant players ever to play the sport of basketball. We only had five or six drills. Davis would hop around the league for a bit before retiring quietly in 2012. Also, Mr. On top of that, several NBA players were born and raised on the streets of Cali: Ron Adams, Ray Allen, Baron Davis, Jason Collins, Scott Brooks, Paul Pierce, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, James Harden, Brandon Jennings, Jason Kidd, Steve Kerr, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Korver, the Lopez twins, Kevin Love, Reggie Miller, Tayshaun Prince, Russell Westbrook and Klay Thompson are just a some of the hundreds of NBA players from this state. While Lonzo Ball hasnt yet reached his potential as a pro player, he is projected to become an elite player in the league, and there is no arguing his time at UCLA, while short, was spectacular. Things he did, today have been proven wrong. But now that hes fully committed to stay with the Thunder and run the show for the team that trusted him with the 4th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, the Brodie has become a monster, being the only player to average a triple-double throughout an entire season since Oscar Robertson did so several years ago. While there are currently 13 players representing UCLA on NBA rosters, the Bruins have been responsible for producing some of the greatest NBA players in the history of the league. He was a 6-time MVP and still leads the league in total points ever scored. Every coach I ever had as a child was a John Wooden disciple, so thats all we knew. After the Bruins lost in the Final Four, Westbrook decided to enter the NBA Draft and was selected 4th overall to the Seattle Supersonics, who relocated to Oklahoma City less than a week later. The Greatest UCLA Basketball Players of All Time, Vote up the best players in the history of UCLA Men's Basketball, Many colleges have long traditions of NCAA basketball that breed great talent for the NBA. It was like, OK, were in shape. His time at UCLA was turbulent as the Vietnam War raged on and Walton stuck his neck out to protest the war while doubling as the best college basketball player in the nation. Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). [1] As of the 202122season[update], 99 former UCLA players have played in the NBA.[a]. Now that our trip down memory lane is over, lets take a look at some current former Bruins that currently play in the league. Copyright 2000-2022 Sports Reference LLC. The former third pick in the 1977 NBA Draft also earned a spot on this list thanks to his eleven-season career and his outstanding scoring ability, being yet another successful shooting guard with a killer instinct and amazing moves to leave defenders behind. While that wouldnt fly today, it worked for Walton, who became a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He spoke about college players who are one-and-done before declaring for the NBA. He is an underrated passer, especially out of the outlet, and can score on all three levels of the court. Here are a couple of notable historic Bruins that excelled in the NBA as well. Best All-Time UCLA Bruins to Play in the NBA. Under Wooden, Walton said, there was no drinking water, no set plays, and never any timeouts. The following former Bruins were selected in the NBA draft but never played a game in the league.