60 Best College Basketball Players of all times

60 Best College Basketball Players of all times

In the course of history, colleges have produced some of the best basketball players. We have witnessed everyone from the most successful athletes to once in a lifetime talents arrive from different colleges. Numerous top colleges, such as Duke, Kentucky and UCLA have aided in preparing college athletes for careers in the sports industry. These players were able to showcase their abilities at the highest levels, which had an effect on the NBA as a whole.

Due to their excellent college preparation, they have unmatched court intelligence and can compete in the most intense situations. The athletes received extensive training in college with the assistance of several instructors, which allowed them to demonstrate their abilities in their later careers. Here are 60 best college athletes of all times.

1. Bill Russell

Bill Russell was a centre for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association from 1956 to 1969. He was the centrepiece of the Celtics dynasty, winning 11 NBA titles during his 13-year career. He was a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time NBA All-Star. Russell is largely regarded as one of the greatest players in basketball history.

Before the NBA, Russel was ignored by college recruiters and received no offers until University of San Francisco (USF) recruiter Hal DeJulio saw him play in a high school game and recruited him. At the 1956 Summer Olympics, he captained the United States gold-medal-winning national basketball team.

Russell was named the new starting centre for the San Francisco Dons under coach Phil Woolpert. Instead of purely guarding the opposing centre, he used his quickness and speed to play help defence against opposing forwards and aggressively challenge their shots. Russell became the focal point of a USF squad that quickly rose to prominence in the college basketball world by combining the size, shot-blocking abilities, and foot speed of a guard with a centre’s stature.

With a run of 55 straight victories under his belt and an unofficial double-triple-double of 26 points, 27 rebounds, 20 blocks, 3 steals, and an assist, he guided USF to NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956. He earned a reputation for his fierce defence and shot-blocking abilities after blocking 13 shots in one game. Russell averaged 20.7 points per game and 20.3 rebounds per game throughout his time in college. In 1955, he won the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award.

2. Lew Alcindor

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, previously Lew Alcindor, is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association for 20 seasons. Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time NBA Most Valuable Player during his centre career.

He was a 19-time NBA All-Star, tied for the most in NBA history, as well as a 15-time All-NBA Team member and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team pick. He played on six NBA championship teams and assisted on two more, and he was named NBA Finals MVP twice.

He was recruited by Jerry Norman, an assistant coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played on three consecutive national championship teams for coach John Wooden. He was the NCAA Tournament MVP three times in a row. In 1966, Alcindor made his varsity debut as a sophomore and earned national attention. During the season, he averaged 29 points per game, leading UCLA to an unbeaten 30-0 record and a national championship. 

Over three years, Alcindor was a crucial contributor to the team’s 88-win, two-loss record. Alcindor was a three-time national player of the year (1967-1969), a three-time unanimous first-team All-American (1967-1969), a member of three NCAA championship teams (1967, 1968, and 1969), the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player three times, and the first-ever Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969. He is the first player in history to have been named Helms Foundation Player of the Year three times.

3. Bill Walton

Bill Walton is a former professional basketball player and television sportscaster in the United States. He was a UCLA Bruins basketball player who won three straight national collegiate players of the year awards (1972-1974) while guiding the Bruins to NCAA titles in 1972 and 1973 and an 88-game winning run. Walton was a UCLA basketball player from 1971 until 1974. Bill Walton led the Bruins to two consecutive 30-0 seasons and an NCAA men’s basketball winning streak of 88 games.

UCLA won the NCAA Championship with Walton in 1972, over Florida State, and again in 1973, over Memphis State, 87-66, with Walton making 21 of 22 field-goal tries and scoring 44 points. Walton averaged 20.3 points , 15.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 87 career games at UCLA, shooting 65.1% from the field. During Walton’s three seasons at UCLA, the Bruins were 86-4.

Walton received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States in 1973. In 1972, 1973, and 1974, Walton was named the USBWA Collegiate Player of the Year and the Naismith College Player of the Year as the best college basketball player. He was named Academic All-American in 1972, 1973, and 1974.

4. Wilt Chamberlain

Wilton Chamberlain was a professional basketball player from the United States who played in the centre position in the NBA for 14 years. He is largely considered one of the sport’s finest players. He holds multiple NBA regular season records in the categories of scoring, rebounding, and durability; blocks were not tallied during his career. Chamberlain is well known for being the only player in NBA history to score 100 points in a single game.

Chamberlain enrolled at the University of Kansas (KU) in 1955. Chamberlain’s freshmen team debut was eagerly awaited; the freshman squad was paired against the varsity, which was expected to win their conference that year. Chamberlain outperformed his elder collegiate classmates, scoring 42 points, grabbing 29 rebounds, and blocking four shots.

Chamberlain made his varsity basketball debut as a centre for the Kansas Jayhawks on December 3, 1956. In his debut game, he set both all-time Kansas records with 52 points and 31 rebounds in an 87-69 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats, who featured Chamberlain’s future NBA teammate Joe Ruklick. He averaged 29.9 points and 18.3 rebounds per game in two seasons at KU, totalling 1,433 points and 877 rebounds and leading Kansas to one Big Seven championship. 

5. David Thompson

Thompson led North Carolina State University to an unbeaten season (27-0) in 1973, but the Wolfpack was barred from postseason play owing to NCAA rules infractions concerning Thompson’s recruitment. In 1974, he led the Wolfpack to a 30-1 record and the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship.

NCSU upset the reigning national champions, UCLA, in double OT in the semifinal game. They defeated Marquette 76-64 in the championship game. Thompson and the Wolfpack went on to win the national championship that year.

6. Oscar Robertson

After a stellar high school performance, he graduated in 1956 and enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. Robertson continued to flourish while playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats, earning the third-highest scoring average in collegiate history with 33.8 points per game. He won the national scoring title, was named an All-American and was awarded College Player of the Year in each of his three years while setting 14 NCAA and 19 school records.

During his three varsity seasons, Robertson led the Bearcats to a 79-9 overall record, including two Final Four appearances; yet, a championship escaped Robertson, which would become a recurring trend until late in his professional career. When Robertson graduated from college, he was the all-time leading NCAA scorer until 1970, when fellow Hall-of-Famer Pete Maravich surpassed him.

During Robertson’s tenure at Cincinnati, the university’s greatest success in basketball occurred soon after his departure, when the team won national championships in 1961 and 1962, almost missing a third straight title in 1963 by two points.

7. Pete Maravich

Maravich enrolled at Louisiana State University in 1967. At the time, NCAA rules barred first-year students from playing on the varsity level, forcing Maravich to play on the freshman squad. Maravich had 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in his first game versus Southeastern Louisiana College.

Maravich scored 3,667 points in three years on the varsity team at LSU, 1,138 in 1967-68, 1,148 in 1968-69, and 1,381 in 1969-70, averaging 43.8, 44.2, and 44.5 points per game. During his undergraduate career, the guard averaged 44.2 points per game in 83 games and led the NCAA in scoring in each of his three seasons.

Maravich earned three All-American selections. Though he never participated in the NCAA tournament, Maravich was instrumental in turning around a struggling school that had a 3-20 record previous to his arrival. Maravich ended his collegiate career with LSU finishing fourth in the 1970 National Invitation Tournament.

8. Jerry West

West graduated from East Bank High School in 1956 and afterwards chose to attend West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. West was a member of the West Virginia University freshman team that finished the season with a perfect record of 17 wins and no losses. West averaged 17.8 points per game and 11.1 rebounds in his first varsity season under head coach Fred Schaus, starting all 28 games and shooting 49.6% from the field and 73.2% from the free throw line.

These efforts earned him All-American Third Team honours, First Team All-Southern Conference, Southern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Award and First Team honour, Chuck Taylor-Converse Second-team All-American honours, and Associated Press and United Press International Third-team All-American honours.

West’s best game was against Virginia when he grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 40 points. Furthermore, he produced 30 double-doubles and fifteen 30-point games in his final year. West finished his collegiate career with 2,309 points and 1,240 rebounds. He averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. West holds 12 WVU records as of 2011.

9. Elvin Hayes

Hayes guided the Houston Cougars to the Western Regional semifinals of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament in 1966, where they were defeated by the Pac-8 champion Oregon State Beavers. Hayes led the Cougars to the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament Final Four in 1967. In a 73-58 semifinal loss to the eventual champion UCLA Bruins, he attempted 31 field goals, scored 25 points, and grabbed 24 rebounds.

Hayes and the Houston Cougars met Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins in the first-ever nationally televised regular-season college basketball game on January 20, 1968. Hayes led Houston to a 71-69 victory over UCLA in what has been dubbed the “Game of the Century,” scoring 39 points and grabbing 15 rebounds while holding Alcindor to just 15 points.

Hayes was named The Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year as a result of the game. Hayes led Houston in scoring in each of the previous three seasons (1966: 27.2 points per game, 1967: 28.4, and 1968: 36.8). Hayes averaged 31.0 points per game and 17.2 rebounds per game throughout his college career. With 222 rebounds, he holds the record for most in NCAA tournament history.

10. Larry Bird

In 1975, Bird enrolled at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. He had a great three-year stint with the Sycamores, helping them reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history with a 33-0 record, where they lost to Michigan State in the 1979 championship game. Bird scored 19 points but only made 7 of 21 shots as Indiana State lost 75-64.

Despite not winning the title, Bird received multiple year-end honours and trophies for his exceptional performance, including the Naismith College Player of the Year Award. He led the Sycamores to an 81-13 record during his college career, averaging 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.

11. Bill Bradley

William Warren Bradley is an American politician and former professional basketball player. In the fall of 1961, Bradley originally intended to enrol at Duke, but he later changed his mind and chose Princeton. Bill Bradley, who served three terms in the U.S.photoste before making a vain attempt to win the presidency in 2000, is unquestionably the best collegiate basketball player to hold significant office in history.

Bradley was a formidable force at Princeton, where he led the Tigers to the Final Four and earned MOP honours while being named the national player of the year in 1965. Bradley was a two-time All-American. He also holds the Princeton career point record and numerous other school records, including the top 10 spots in total points scored in a game.

12. Magic Johnson

Earvin Johnson Jr. is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He is widely considered to be the best point guard of all time. Johnson was a player for the National Basketball Association for 13 seasons (NBA). He eventually decided to attend Michigan State, where he would be coached by Jud Heathcote.

Johnson’s undergraduate career culminated in 1979 when he defeated Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores in the NCAA Championship. He would lead both teams in scoring with 24 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds, whereas Bird would only score 19 points on 33% shooting. In this game, the Spartans would win their first NCAA Championship.

Magic’s services to Michigan State basketball and NCAA basketball, in general, have cemented his place in college basketball history. His tremendous attraction and engaging theatrics, as well as his historic rivalry with Larry Bird, all contributed to their rivalry being the circus that it is today.

13. Jerry Lucas

Jerry Ray Lucas is an American former basketball player. Before subsequently starring as a professional player in the National Basketball Association, he was a nationally recognized high school athlete, a national college standout at Ohio State, a 1960 gold medal Olympian, and an international player.

When he was a college student, Lucas steered the Ohio State Buckeyes to three consecutive NCAA championship games (1960–1962), winning the national title in 1960 and placing second in 1961 and 1962. He is the only Big Ten basketball player to win the award three times, and the United States Basketball Writers Association, the Associated Press, and the Sporting News each named him the NCAA Player of the Year in 1961 and 1962.

14. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is a former NBA player and current American businessman. He competed in the National Basketball Association for fifteen seasons, winning six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan spent three years as a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels during his time in college. Despite being voted the top ACC Rookie of the Year his freshman year, Jordan’s successes in college would largely occur in the two years following.

After setting the Tar Heels’ record for most points scored by a sophomore with 721, he went on to win the Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year awards in his junior season. Although Jordan’s undergraduate career is sometimes overlooked, he already demonstrated his potential when playing for North Carolina. Even in college, he excelled offensively and played tenaciously on defence, earning him a collection of accolades.

Check out : Top 10 Remarkable facts about Michael Jordan.

15. Christian Laettner

Christian Laettner is a former professional basketball player from the United States. His time playing for the Duke Blue Devils is regarded as one of the greatest in NCAA history. He was an important contributor to Duke’s back-to-back National Championship teams in 1991 and 1992, and his senior year saw him receive the NCAA Player of the Year award.

As a member of the “Dream Team,” Laettner is honoured in the FIBA Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He is also honoured in the FIBA Hall of Fame for his career.

Laettner averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and nearly 50% of his three-point attempts throughout his career. During his senior year, he averaged 21.5 points per game, winning every major national player of the year award; Duke eventually retired his No. 32 jersey.

16. Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former NBA player who spent the majority of his career as the starting centre for the New York Knicks. Ewing made his decision to play at Georgetown for his college career. Ewing’s four-year college career is widely regarded as one of the most successful in college history.

Among his many accomplishments, he assisted Georgetown in reaching the NCAA Tournament championship game three out of four years, winning three Big East tournament crowns, four Big East Defensive Player of the Year accolades, and was selected a first-team All-American three times.

17. Tom Golla

From 1952 to 1955, he was a member of La Selle. Gola led the Explorers to the NIT Championship as a rookie, averaging 17-17 stats. He would go on to win La Salle’s first-ever NCAA title over Bradley in his junior year, scoring 19 points and grabbing 19 rebounds.

This came on the heels of a season in which he had 23 points and 22 rebounds. During his final year, Gola averaged a career-high 24.2 points per game to go along with roughly 20 rebounds. This established him as one of the finest college players during his reign. 

18. Ralph Sampson

Ralph Sampson is a retired professional basketball player from the United States. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the most highly sought-after college basketball prospect of his generation. He played centre for the University of Virginia, where the Cavaliers won the NIT in 1980, advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1981, and reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 1983.

He received two Wooden Awards and three Naismith Awards for being the National Player of the Year. After his junior year, Sampson thought about leaving Virginia and entering the 1982 NBA draft. The San Diego Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers would toss a coin to decide who would be selected first overall, but Sampson had to declare his availability before the coin toss. Sampson chose to remain in school rather than take a chance by joining the Clippers.

19. Elgin Baylor

Elgin Baylor was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He was a forward with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers throughout his NBA career. Despite his excellence as a high school basketball player, Baylor was not recruited by any significant colleges at the time because scouts did not visit black high schools to look for talent.

While Baylor was accepted by certain universities, his academic qualifications were insufficient. For the academic year 1954–1955, a friend of Baylor’s who went to the College of Idaho assisted in setting up a football scholarship for Baylor. Baylor was never a member of the school’s football team; instead, he was automatically accepted onto the basketball squad without having to try out.

That season, he fared better than the team’s other players, averaging more than 31 points and 20 rebounds per game. Baylor was recruited by a Seattle auto owner to play for Westside Ford, an Amateur Athletic Union team in Seattle, for a year while establishing eligibility at Seattle. Baylor averaged 29.7 points per game and 20.3 rebounds per game for Seattle in 1956-57.

The following season, Baylor averaged 32.5 points per game while leading the Seattle University Chieftains to the NCAA championship game, where they lost to the Kentucky Wildcats. Baylor averaged 31.3 points per game and 19.5 rebounds per game in three collegiate seasons, one at the College of Idaho and two at Seattle. During the 1956-57 season, he led the NCAA in rebounds.

20. Gail Goodrich

Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA who played professionally as a basketball player. He is best known for his 42-point performance for UCLA against Michigan in the 1965 NCAA championship game as well as his contribution to the Los Angeles Lakers 1971–72 season. Goodrich played for UCLA’s first two national championship teams in 1964 and 1965 and graduated from UCLA as the school’s all-time top scorer.

He set a record 42 points in the 1965 NCAA championship game as UCLA defeated Michigan. Goodrich contributed to UCLA’s 78-11 three-year record. Goodrich was chosen to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team in both of those championship seasons. Goodrich retired as UCLA’s all-time best scorer (1,690 points), a record presently held by Don MacLean (2,608 points).

21. Tyler Hansbrough

American professional basketball player Tyler Hansbrough plays for Cangrejeros de Santurce in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He has seven seasons of NBA experience and has also competed abroad. From 2005 until 2009, Hansbrough was a standout player for the North Carolina Tar Heels in college. He was the only player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference to be selected to the first team of the conference four times and the first team of the country four times.

In addition to winning all of the national player of the year honours in 2008, Hansbrough was named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2006 and the ACC Player of the Year in 2008. In his final year at North Carolina in 2009, Hansbrough earned an NCAA title.

22. Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is a retired basketball player from the United States. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history and the best power forward of all time. He was selected for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 after being inducted into the theIssel’smith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Duncan participated in collegiate basketball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and during his last season, he won the John Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year award, and the USBWA College Player of the Year award. With 481 career shot blocks, Duncan graduated from college as the ACC’s all-time leading shot blocker. He also finished second in NCAA annals at the time and third on the ACC career rebounding leaderboard having 1,570 rebounds.

23. Dan Issel

Daniel Paul Issel is a former professional basketball player and coach from the United States. Issel was a standout college basketball player at the University of Kentucky when he set a school record with 25.7 points per game. Issel was offered scholarships from Northwestern, Illinois, and Wisconsin, but he selected Kentucky. Issel averaged 33.9 points per game as a senior at Kentucky, including 36.0 in the NCAA Tournament to help Kentucky reach the Elite Eight.

Issel played in the UK from 1966 to 1970, scoring 2,138 points and grabbing 1,078 rebounds while being selected an All-American in two of the three seasons he was eligible. His career point total remains the greatest among men’s players at the University of Kentucky. Issel was a three-year starter for Kentucky when he guided them to three Southeastern Conference titles and set 23 school records.

24. Calvin Murphy

Calvin Jerome Murphy is an American retired professional basketball player who, after a successful undergraduate career at Niagara, where he averaged 33.1 points per game over three years, played in the National Basketball Association as a guard with the San Diego/Houston Rockets from 1970 to 1983. Murphy went to Niagara University and was a three-time All-American. In 77 games, he scored 2,548 points (33.1 points per game).

His 68-point performance against Syracuse University at Niagara’s Gallagher Center was one of his greatest. In 1970, he guided Niagara to the NCAA tournament, where they fell to Villanova in the second round. Murphy was admitted into the Iota Phi Theta fraternity’s Alpha Nu Omega chapter alongside fellow future Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes.

25. Ralph Beard

Ralph Beard was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. Before receiving a life ban for his involvement in the 1951 point-shaving controversy, he played two seasons in the National Basketball Association while earning two NCAA national basketball championships at the University of Kentucky. With Alex Groza, Wallace Jones, Cliff Barker, and Kenny Rollins, he was a member of Adolph Rupp’s “Fabulous Five” University of Kentucky basketball squad. 

26. Austin Carr

Austin George Carr is a retired professional basketball player from the United States who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Washington Bullets of the National Basketball Association. He rose to fame as a physically dominant player for the University of Notre Dame, where he arrived after scoring over 2,000 points in high school.

Carr lived up to expectations, finishing his three-year career at Notre Dame with 2,560 points (an average of 34.5 points per game), putting him seventh all-time in collegiate basketball history at the time of his departure. Carr has NCAA tournament milestones for the most points in a single game (61 vs. Ohio in 1970), the most field goals in a single game (25), and the most field goals attempted in a single game (44).

His 50-point-per-game average in seven NCAA playoff games is unlikely to be surpassed. He was a member of the Notre Dame team that defeated the UCLA Bruins on January 19, 1971, the Bruins’ last setback until they were defeated by Notre Dame precisely three years later, ending the Bruins’ NCAA men’s basketball historic 88-game unbeaten run.

27. Danny Manning

Daniel Ricardo Manning is the Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Louisville and a former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawk. As a senior, Manning led the Jayhawks to the NCAA title in 1988, leaving KU as the college’s all-time greatest scorer and rebounder.

With 2,951 career points, he was also the all-time top scorer in Big Eight Conference history. In 1988, he was named college player of the year and received the Wooden, Naismith, and NABC awards.

28. David Robinson

David Robinson is a minority owner of the San Antonio Spurs and a former NBA player with the Spurs from 1989 to 2003. He entered college with no ambitions of competing in the NBA, but as a Naval Academy first-year, Robinson was a consensus All-American and earned college basketball’s two most coveted player accolades, the Naismith and Wooden Awards.

In 1986, Robinson guided Navy, a seventh-seeded team, to the Final Four before losing to Duke in the East Regional Final. Robinson spent his first three years as a Midshipman under Paul Evans, and his senior year under Pete Herrmann, who was the interim head coach at the University of Georgia.

29. Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a Nigerian-born former professional basketball player. Olajuwon travelled to the United States from Nigeria to play basketball under Guy Lewis at the University of Houston. After redshirting his freshman year in 1980-81 due to a lack of NCAA clearance, Olajuwon came off the bench as a redshirt freshman in 1981-82, serving as the Cougars’ sixth man, averaging 8.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks while shooting 60% from the field in 18 minutes per game as Houston was eliminated in the Final Four by eventual NCAA champion North Carolina.

He assisted the Cougars in making it to back-to-back NCAA championship games in his sophomore and junior seasons, where they were defeated by a Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown squad in 1984 and North Carolina State in 1983 on a last-second tip-in. In the seasons 1982–83 and 1983–84, he averaged 16.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 5.6 blocks in addition to 13.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks. The 1983 NCAA Tournament Player of the Year title went to Olajuwon.

30. Lionel Simons

Lionel James Simmons is an American former professional basketball player. Simmons, a small forward who stands 6’7″, attended La Salle University, where as a senior he received the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith College Player of the Year awards. With 3,217 points, Simmons ranks fourth all-time in the NCAA, behind only Chris Clemons, Pete Maravich, and Freeman Williams.

For the first time in NCAA history, Simmons amassed more than 1,100 rebounds in addition to more than 3,000 points. With 115 games, he holds the NCAA Basketball record for the most consecutive games with double-digit scoring. He guided the Explorers to three consecutive trips in the NCAA Tournament (1988–90).

For three years, Simmons was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year. He was chosen for the First Team of the Big 5 four times, and he took home the Robert V. Geasey Trophy three times as the league’s MVP.

31. Wayman Tisdale

Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was an NBA professional basketball player from the United States. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 as a three-time All-American at the University of Oklahoma. From 1982 to 1985, he was a three-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year at the University of Oklahoma, and he was the first player in Collegiate history to be named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. He still retains the record for most points scored by a freshman and sophomore at Oklahoma.

32. Doug McDermott

Douglas McDermott is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He was a three-time consensus first-team All-American while playing college basketball for Creighton University when he led the nation in scoring in 2013-14. As a senior in 2014, he was named the consensus national player of the year and concluded his college career with the fifth-most points in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history.

McDermott originally signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Northern Iowa, but when his father moved from coaching Iowa State to Creighton, Mikan’sas was released from his commitment to play for him in college. With 3,150 points at the end of his college career, he surpassed basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird to finish fifth all-time in NCAA Division I scoring.

He became the only player in 29 years to be selected three times to the first team of the AP All-America. McDermott is one of three players in NCAA men’s basketball history to record 3,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Additionally, by scoring 10 or more points in 135 games, he set an NCAA record.

33. George Mikan

George Lawrence Mikan Jr. was an American professional basketball player who played for the National Basketball League’s Chicago American Gears and the NBL’s Minneapolis Lakers, as well as the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association. He went to DePaul University. From the start of his National Collegiate Athletic Association college games at DePaul, Mikan dominated his colleagues.

Mikan was selected the Helms NCAA College Player of the Year in 1944 and 1945, and he was a three-time All-American. In 1945, he led DePaul to the NIT championship, which was more prestigious than the NCAA title at the time. With 23.9 points per game in 1944-45 and 23.1 in 1945-46, Mikan was the top scorer in the country. Mikan was voted Most Valuable Player when DePaul won the 1945 NIT after scoring 120 points in three games.

34. Len Bias

Leonard Kevin Bias was a college basketball player from the University of Maryland. Bias graduated from the University of Maryland. In his junior year, he led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring and was voted ACC Player of the Year. His effort in an overtime victory over top-ranked North Carolina, where he scored 35 points, including 7 in the final three minutes of regulation and 4 in overtime, was the pinnacle of his senior season. At the end of the season, Bias received his second ACC Player of the Year title and was selected for two All-America teams.

Bias was regarded as one of the most dynamic players in the country because of his incredible leaping prowess, physical height, and ability to make plays. Scouts from different National Basketball Association teams considered Bias to be the most complete forward in the class of 1986 by the time he was in his senior year.

35. Grant Hill

Grant Henry Hill is a former NBA player and executive from the United States. He attended Duke University and is regarded as one of the best players there. Hill decided to enrol at Duke University and spent four years playing for the 1991 and 1992 national champion Blue Devils. Duke became the first Division I team since UCLA in 1966–1973 to win back-to-back championships.

The highlight of his senior year was his performance in an overtime victory over top-ranked North Carolina, where he scored 35 points, including 7 in the final three minutes of regulation and 4 in overtime. Bias was nominated to two All-America teams and received his second ACC Player of the Year title at the end of the season.

Bias was one of the most dynamic players in the country and wowed basketball fans with his incredible leaping skills, physique, and ability to make plays. Bias was regarded as the most complete forward in the class of 1986 by the end of his senior year by scouts from several National Basketball Association teams.

36. Darrell Griffith

Darrell Steven Griffith is a former basketball player from the United States who attended the University of Louisville. He didn’t let the school down, winning the school’s first-ever NCAA men’s basketball title in 1980. In the championship game, the Cardinals defeated UCLA 59-54 thanks to his 23 points. He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four for his outstanding performance.

Griffith set a school record during his senior year by scoring 825 points overall. He received the Wooden Award as the finest collegiate basketball player in the country as a result of his achievements, earning him a spot on the Associated Press First Team All-American. With 2,333 career points, he graduated college as Louisville’s all-time top scorer. 

37. Phil Ford

Phil Ford is a former NBA professional basketball player from the United States who had an All-American college career with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Despite hyperextending his shooting elbow in the regional semifinal game against Notre Dame, Ford helped lead the Tar Heels to the Final Four and the NCAA Championship Game in the 1977 NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

At the end of the season, Ford was voted a consensus first-team All-American. Ford averaged 20.8 points and 5.7 assists per game as a senior, including a career-high 34 points in the Tar Heels’ final home game, a victory against Duke that clinched another ACC first-place finish.

38. Rick Barry

Richard Francis Dennis Barry III is a retired professional basketball player from the United States who played in the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Barry decided to enrol at the University of Miami. Barry led the NCAA as a senior with an average of 37.4 points per game in the 1964–1965 season. But because the basketball team for the Hurricanes was then on probation, he and his teammates were unable to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

39. Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal is a former professional basketball player from the United States who now works as a sports analyst on the television show Inside the NBA. O’Neal attended Louisiana State University to study business after graduating from high school (LSU). O’Neal won the Dolph Rupp Trophy as the NCAA men’s basketball player of the year in 1991 while playing for Brown at LSU.

He was also voted collegiate player of the year by AP and UPI. O’Neal was a two-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year. O’Neal left LSU early to pursue his NBA career, but he kept going to school even after turning pro. Later, he was admitted to the LSU Hall of Fame. O’Neal is commemorated by a 410 kg bronze statue outside the LSU basketball practice facility.

Read: Top 10 facts about Shaquille O’Neal.

40. Larry Johnson

Larry Demetric Johnson is a former professional basketball player from the United States who played as a power forward for the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association. Johnson verbally committed to play for Dave Bliss at Southern Methodist University, but he instead enrolled at Odessa College in Texas after a disagreement with the SMU administration over the integrity of one of his SAT scores.

Johnson went on to play for head coach Jerry Tarkanian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Johnson was a two-time First-Team All-American while playing for Jerry Tarkanian, twice leading the Rebels to the Final Four, the first of which resulted in a record-breaking victory over the Duke Blue Devils in the 1990 national championship game. Johnson was also named the national player of the year in 1991. Johnson was an inductee into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. 

41. Scott May

Scott Glenn May is a retired American basketball player. He may lead the Indiana University Hoosiers to an undefeated season and national championship in 1975-76 as a college athlete. The Hoosiers swept the entire Big Ten in 1974–75, winning by a margin of 22.8 points per contest. Because of their overwhelming performance, the Hoosiers had four starters (May, Steve Green, Kent Benson, and Quinn Buckner) selected for the five-player All-Big Ten team.

The Hoosiers defeated Michigan 86-68 in the championship game the next season (1975–76), going undefeated throughout the regular season and the 1976 NCAA tournament. The last university to accomplish this was Indiana. May was the team’s top scorer in the 1975–76 season, as well as its go-to player in crunch time and a superb rebounder. In 1976, he was selected the National Player of the Year in men’s basketball by the NCAA.

42. Rick Mount

 Richard Carl Mount is a former American basketball player in the American Basketball Association. Mount was weighing signing with the University of Miami (Florida). He chose to stay at home and play basketball under head coach George King at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, which is only 35 miles from his home.

Due to NCAA rules in place at the time, Mount was unable to participate on the varsity squad as a freshman. Against the varsity team, Rick scored 33 points in front of 9,500 spectators at Lambert Fieldhouse. On the freshman team, he scored 490 points while averaging 35 points per game and shooting 54.5 Percent. After just three varsity seasons, Mount finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,323 points. It surpassed Indiana’s DonSchlundt’s scoring total at the time and set a new Big Ten scoring record.

Mount recorded at least 30 points in 46 of those games and scored in double figures in 72 straight contests. Both are still school records. He shattered several Dave Schellhase and Terry Dischinger scoring records at Purdue. He guided the Boilers to a 56-20 overall record throughout his tenure.

43. John Wooden

John Robert Wooden was a basketball coach and player from the United States. Following his high school graduation, he enrolled at Purdue University. The Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Poretta Power Poll retroactively declared the 1932 Purdue squad, on which he played as a senior, to have won the pre-NCAA tournament national championship.

While playing for Purdue (1930–1932), John Wooden was voted All–Big Ten and–Midwestern. He was also the firGilmore’sete to be named a three–time consensus All-American. He received the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which was given to one student-athlete from each Big Ten member school’s graduating class for displaying both academic and athletic success throughout their collegiate careers. Additionally, he was chosen for the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Furthermore, he belongs to Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity as an honorary member.

44. Artis Gilmore

Artis Gilmore is a former basketball player who competed in both the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association. From 1967 through 1969, Gilmore participated in collegiate basketball, starting with Gardner-Webb Junior College in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Together with George Adams, Gilmore led Gardner-Webb to the NJCAA tournament in 1968 and 1969 while playing under coach Eddie Holbrook.

With 1,530 points and 1,150 rebounds in his two seasons at Gardner-Webb, Gilmore averaged 22.5 points and 16.0 rebounds. Gilmore transferred to Jacksonville University in 1969–1970. Under the tutelage of Joe Williams, he helped the Jacksonville Dolphins squad to a 27-2 record. Gilmore guided the team in the 1970 NCAA tournament to the NCAA Championship game, where they fell to the UCLA Bruins 80–69. Gilmore had 16 rebounds and 19 points.

45. Bob Cousy

Robert Joseph Cousy is a retired professional basketball player from the United States. Cousy was one of six freshmen on the varsity basketball squad of the Holy Cross Crusaders in 1946-47. Cousy made his high school varsity squad as a junior and went on to earn a scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross, where he led the Crusaders to NCAA Tournament berths in 1948 and 1950 while earning NCAA All-American honours for three seasons.

46. Cazzie Russel

Cazzie Lee Russell is a former professional basketball player and coach from the United States. The University of Michigan is where Russell played college basketball. Together with Bill Buntin, Russell steered the Wolverines to three straight Big Ten Conference championships (1964-66) as well as Final Four trips (1964 and 1965), with UCLA defeating Michigan 91-80 in the championship game in the latter year.

Russell won the title of College Basketball Player of the Year in 1966 after scoring 30.8 points per game on average. In 1964, Russell was also made a member of the Sigma Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. 

47. Bob Lanier

 Robert Jerry Lanier Jr played centre for the National Basketball Association’s Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. Lanier was chosen for the Converse All-America team three times (1968–1970). He guided St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four as a senior in 1970.

He suffered a knee injury in a collision with Villanova’s Chris Ford near the conclusion of the regional championship game and was out for St. Bonaventure’s loss to Jacksonville University in the national semifinal. Lanier received the Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year award that year. 

48. Isiah Thomas

Isiah Lord Thomas III spent his whole NBA career with the Detroit Pistons. Thomas played collegiate basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, guiding them to the 1981 NCAA championship, the school’s fourth national title. The sophomore won the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player title and was drafted in the 1981 NBA draft. 

49. Sidney Wicks

Sidney Wicks is a California native who attended UCLA and played college basketball for the Bruins. Wicks, a 6’8″ power forward/centre, was a UCLA basketball superstar who played on three consecutive NCAA Men’s Division I Championship teams from 1969 to 1971. On the last two championship teams, he was the Bruins’ standout player.

In addition to being a unanimous All-American in 1970 and 1971, Wicks was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in 1970, the Helms National Co-Player of the Year in 1970, and the USBWA and Sporting News Player of the Year in 1971. Wicks was enshrined in the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

50. Sam Perkins

Perkins played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984 while he was a student at the University of North Carolina. He played a key role on the Tar Heels’ 1982 NCAA championship squad and was voted ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981. Perkins was named USA Basketball’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1984. Perkins was the second-highest scorer in Tar Heels history and led the team in rebounds and blocked shots at the end of his NCAA basketball career.

51. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns for one season, averaging 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Texas finished the season with a 25-10 overall record and a 12-4 conference record. Texas was seeded fourth in the NCAA Tournament and defeated New Mexico State in the first round before falling to USC in the second round, despite Durant’s 30-point and nine-rebound performance.

The Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, and all eight other widely recognized honors and awards were all bestowed upon him. Durant became the first freshman to win a national player of the year award.

52. Elton Brand

Elton Tyron Brand played college basketball for Duke. Brand was the imposing core force for a Duke squad that was widely regarded as one of the most successful teams in modern NCAA annals as a sophomore. Brand was selected the National Player of the Year by a wide margin after guiding the Blue Devils to the Final Four championship game, where they were defeated by the Connecticut Huskies.

53. Anthony Davies

Anthony Davis was a college basketball player for the University of Kentucky for one season, during which time he was named to the first team All-American and named the consensus national player of the year. Additionally, he received the Pete Newell Big Man Award, the NABC Defensive Player of the Year, and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year awards.

The Southeastern Conference and NCAA Division I freshman single-season blocked shot records were also broken by Davis, who led the NCAA in blocks. He was awarded the most outstanding player of the 2012 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament and assisted Kentucky win the national championship.

54. Alex Groza

Alex John Groza was an American professional basketball player who captained the University of Kentucky Wildcats to two NCAA titles and was a two-time All-NBA player for the Indianapolis Olympians before his career ended prematurely. Groza was the captain and centre of the “Fabulous Five” who won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships in 1948 and 1949. Groza was a three-time All-American and All-SEC selection, as well as the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player twice.

55. Shane Battier

The four years that Shane Courtney Battier played basketball at Duke are what made him most famous. In 1999 and 2001, he guided the Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team to two Final Fours, however in the regional finals of 1998, his team let a late 17-point lead to eventual national champion Kentucky slip away. In the 1999 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, the Blue Devils were defeated by the Connecticut Huskies, but they bounced back to defeat the Arizona Wildcats two years later to win the national title.

With titles including the Naismith, Associated Press, and Sporting News College Player of the Year, the John R. Wooden Award, the Oscar Robertson, and the Adolph Rupp trophy, Battier was a consensus choice for national player of the year in 2001.

56. Walt Hazzard

Hazzard enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles, where he excelled as a star basketball player. UCLA made its first NCAA tournament trip in the 1962 Final Four during Hazzard’s first season on the team. Hazzard helped UCLA win its first NCAA Championship in 1963–64 by leading the Bruins to their first unbeaten season. The United States Basketball Writers Association named Hazzard as an All-American and the College Player of the Year .

57. Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry played for the Davidson Wildcats during his college career. During his time there, he set numerous scoring records for the school and the Southern Conference. He also won two conference player of the year awards and, during his sophomore season, broke the NCAA record for most three-pointers made in a single season.

Also Read: Top 10 Amazing facts about Stephen Curry.

58. Cliff Hagan

Hagan attended the University of Kentucky where he played college basketball. He assisted Kentucky in winning the NCAA title in 1951 as a sophomore by defeating Kansas State 68-58. At the time of his graduation from Kentucky, he had 1475 points, which put him third all-time at the school, and 1035 rebounds, which put him second, three rebounds behind Ramsey.

He received First Team All-Southeastern Conference and All-American honors in 1952 and 1954, respectively. Hagan still retains the record for the minimum of 60 games played in terms of rebounding average with 13.4 for his 77 total games between 1951-1952 and 1954.

59. Carmelo Anthony

While playing collegiate basketball for the Syracuse Orange, Carmelo Kyam Anthony won a national title as a freshman in 2003 and was also voted the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Anthony played for Syracuse University for one season in 2002–03, averaging 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds. In 2003, he assisted in leading the Orangemen to their first-ever NCAA tournament championship.

He was the team’s leader in points scored, rebounds grabbed, minutes played, field goals made, and free throws attempted. The NCAA tournament record for the most points by a freshman was set by Anthony’s 33-point outburst against the University of Texas in the Final Four.

60. Kemba Walker

Kemba Walker was a Connecticut Huskies basketball player during his college career. Walker was the nation’s second-leading scorer in the 2010-11 season and was subsequently named consensus first team All-American. Kemba Walker was awarded the Most Outstanding player after leading the Connecticut Huskies to the 2011 NCAA championship.