Top 20 NCAA Best College Basketball Players Of All Time

Playing in the NBA is the dream of every basketball player. But you cannot be in the most exciting league of basketball overnight. It requires years of hard work and dedication. You have to prove yourself in your college career.

Great players are not born in a day. They show the signs and potential of greatness from an early age. With proper training, hard work, and dedication, they finally become what they are destined to be. Take the top 20 NCAA best college basketball players, for example. Their career in the NBA was as great as in college, if not better.

The competition in college is very high. Let’s see who are the best college basketball players of all time.

Top 20 NCAA Best College Basketball Players of All Time

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Career Highlights

• NCAA Champion: 1967, 1968, 1969
• NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 1967, 1968, 1969
• 3 times First-Team All-American (1967-69)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1969)
• Helms Foundation College Player of the Year (1967, 1969)
• Sporting News College Player of the Year (1967-69)

We are starting with Karem Abdul-Jabbar, of course. He is arguably the greatest NBA player of all time. Is it a surprise that he was a dominant figure in his college career? Absolutely not. He went to UCLA from 1966 to 1969.

Jabbar was born in New York City. Jabbar’s dominance inside the basketball court began when he was in high school. He led his team to three consecutive New York City Catholic championships. Everyone has had their eyes set on young Jabbar since then.

Jabbar received multiple offers from different colleges but decided to join UCLA. And then began his other dominant reign. Because of the rules of that period, Jabbar did not get the opportunity to play much in college. Still, his performance impressed everyone. His college performance helped him become the overall number-one pick in the 1969 draft.

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2. Bill Walton

Career Highlights

 

• NCAA Champion: 1972, 1973
• NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 1972, 1973
• 3 times First-Team All-American (1972-74)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1972, 1973)
• Wooden Award (1972, 1973)

At number two, we have another legend of the game, Bill Walton. He was also at UCLA in his college career. He used to play in the center position, too,  like his fellow senior Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Walton showed great skills in the sport. He was excellent at rebounding, scoring, and even assisting. He has an average of 20.3 points scoring and recorded an average of 4.7 rebounds. His overall performance made him the overall number-one pick in the 1974 draft.

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3. Bill Russell

Career Highlights

• 2 times NCAA Champion: 1955, 1956
• NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 1955
• Led USF to 55 consecutive victories in 1956-57
• 3 times First-Team All-American (1954-56)
• Hall of Fame:  2006.

You must have heard of Bill Russell. If not, then you are caught. You are not a fan of the NBA. Because this 6 ft 2 inches giant is one of the best basketball players. He was in college in the early 50s. So, the stats of his performance in college are not properly recorded.

Russell retired from basketball as one of the best players. But things were not much easy for him in the beginning. College recruiters did not find his scoring ability much appealing. He received no offer from anyone. Finally, Hal DeJulio saw something in the boy. He knew if Russell was coached properly, he would become a great player.

Russell showed great improvement after being recruited by the University of San Francisco. In his junior college, he became the key player on the team. He was scoring and recording twenty-plus rebounds per game. The team won 28 of its 29 games and won the National Championship.

However, things were not as smooth as one could anticipate. Russell was a victim of racism. Despite having a great year, he did not win any awards that year. But he continued to thrive as a performer. He received his reward in the 1956 NBA draft. St. Louis Hawks selected Russell as the second overall pick of the draft.

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4. Christian Laettner

Career Highlights

• 2 times NCAA Champion: 1991, 1992
• NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 1991, 1992
• 3-times First-Team All-American (1990-92)
• ACC Player of the Year (1991, 1992)
• Hall of Fame:  2010

Our next entrant is the Olympic gold medalist Christian Laettner. He played for Duke University in his college career at the center.

Laettner was an impressive player. He had all the abilities- scoring, assisting, and rebounding. He had a decent junior year, but he mostly shined in his senior years. He recorded 21.5 points on average per game and won every major award available for a player.

It was confirmed that the boy from Angola was going to be a hot pick in the 1992 draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves did not want the big fish to let go. They recruited him in the third pick.

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5. Jerry West

Career Highlights

• Final Four Most Outstanding Player: 1959
• 2 times First-Team All-American (1959-60)
• Hall of Fame:  2006

Jerry West was a beast in his college career. He had an average score of 24.8 points per game. He was a part of the West Virginia University basketball team.

Jerry West was the best guard of his time. He has been like this since high school. As a guard, he was impossible to avoid. West received offers from sixty colleges after school. Yes, sixty colleges! Almost every big college wanted to have him on their team. And west chose West Virginia University.

Jerry West had no rest from the beginning of his college career. He recorded an average score of 26.8 per game and grabbed 12.3  rebounds. He got better and better with every season.

In his final year, West recorded a career-high 29 points. No wonder he was the second pick of the 1960 draft. Undoubtedly, he is one of the top 20 NCAA best college basketball players of all time.

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6. Wilt Chamberlain

Career Highlights

• NCAA Rebounding Leader: 1957, 1958
• 2 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1957-58)
• Hall of Fame: 2006

Wilt Chamberlain was the center player for the Kansas Jayhawks between 1956 and 1958. He had one of the most dominating college careers. It was impossible to stop him from scoring.

Chamberlain was great at both scoring and grabbing rebounds. He became the NCAA rebounding leader back-to-back two times in 1957 and 1958. When he reached the national championship, he faced a great challenge.

All the teams wanted to avoid Chamberlain. They would freeze instead of attacking. Chamberlain would still find his way to scoring. Unfortunately, however, he did not win the National championship. But he surely impressed everyone.

The seven ft 1 inches tall Wilt Chamberlain was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors. He won two NBA championships in his career.

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7. Tim Duncan

Career Highlights

• 2 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1996-97)
• Wooden Award (1997)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1997)
• ACC Player of the Year (1996-97)
• Hall of Fame: 2017

Tim Duncan is known as one of the most decorated NBA players ever. He was no less impressive in his college career. He represented the Wake Forest Demon Deacon as a forward. He showed great progress in his sophomore year. Jerry West already made a prediction that he would be a top pick in the 1995 draft.

Duncan won several awards in his college year, including the Consensus first-team All-American two times. He had all the skills of a forward. He could score, assist, and grab rebounds.

Remember what Jerry West predicted about Duncan? That prophecy became true. Duncan became the number one pick in the 1995 draft. He became a five-time NBA champion later in his career.

Duncan is the best basketball player Wake Forest has ever had. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the college in 2017.

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8. Artis Gilmore

Career Highlights

• NAIA Champion: 1970
• NAIA Tournament Most Valuable Player: 1970
• 3 times NAIA All-American (1969-71)
• Hall of Fame: 2013

You know you cannot have this list without the three times NAIA All-American Artis Gilmore Sr. He used to play at the center position for UCLA Bruins in the later halves of the 60s. Gilmore was very tall, more than seven fr.

Gilmore moved to Jacksonville University in 1969-70. Changing teams or colleges could not affect his performance. He helped the Jacksonville Dolphins to a record 27-2. He became an NAIA champion with Jacksonville in 19670. The 1971 NBA draft had seen so many great talents. Gilmore was picked at the 117th number.

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9. Oscar Robertson

Career Highlights

• NCAA scoring leader: 1958, 1959
• NCAA rebounding leader: 1960
• 2 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1959-60)
• 2 times Helms College Player of the Year (1959, 1960)
• Hall of Fame: 2006

“The Big O,” Oscar Robertson, was born in Tennessee, US. He attended Crispus Attucks High School. He used to play as a guard on their basketball team. 

In college, Robertson joined the  Cincinnati Bearcats. His presence changed the history of the team. They became the most dominant college overnight. And Robertson became invincible and unstoppable. He was scoring like a madman.

Robertson set a scoring record of 33.8 per game. It is the third-highest scoring average in NCAA history. In addition, he was announced as the Helms College Player of the Year twice. He became the NCAA rebounding leader in 1960 as well.

Robertson had a very successful career. He did not win any championships, though. But his performance did not go unnoticed. He was drafted to the Cincinnati Royals in 1960.

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10. Larry Bird

Career Highlights

• NCAA Runner-up: 1979
• NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 1979
• 3 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1977-79)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1979)
• Hall of Fame: 2006.

You can place Larry Bird higher on this list. No one would argue with you regarding that because the man had such a wonderful college career that it sounds like a fantasy.

Bird comes from West Baden Springs, Indiana, U.S. He grew up in poverty and hardship. But he was always passionate about basketball. First, he joined Indiana Hoosiers but left the college within a month as he found it difficult to adjust there.

Bird made the right choice of joining the Indiana State Sycamores in 1976. He helped the team reach the final. Sadly, though, they could not win the championship. Bird did everything he could. He was scoring in every game. He became one of the most popular kinds in the community.

Bird made a career record of scoring 30.3 points per game and making over 4.5 assists. He also grabbed 13.3 rebounds per game by the end of his college career. He achieved many awards, including the NCAA’s most outstanding player and Naismith College Player of the Award.

All these achievements make him one of the top 20 NCAA best college basketball players of all time.

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11. Pistol Pete Maravich

Career Highlights

• 3 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1968-70)
• NCAA scoring leader: 1968, 1969, 1970
• Hall of Fame: 2006

Pistol Pete Maravich dominated college basketball like no other. He went to Louisiana State University. He played as a guard on the basketball team. You can check his stats and immediately understand why he is on the list.

Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. He had one of the best debuts in basketball college history. Maravic scored 50 points, 11 assists, and 14 rebounds in his first match. He played for three years for the college team and won many awards.

Maravich became a consensus first-team all-American three times. He was the scoring leader for all three years he played. With so many achievements in his accolades, Maravich registers his name as one of the top 20 NCAA best college basketball players of all time.

Maravich’s performance did not go unnoticed. The Atlanta Hawks selected him as the overall third pick in the 1970 NBA draft. He was also introduced to the College Hall of Fame in 2006.

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12. Stephen Curry

Career Highlights

• NCAA scoring leader: 2009
• Consensus First-Team All-American (2009)
• Hall of Fame: 2021

You are definitely familiar with the name Stephen Curry. He is amongst the best NBA players at present. Like the other great players, he showed all the signs of greatness in his college time.

Curry was born in Akron, Ohio. He went to Davidson College. He earned a good reputation in his high school. His coach boasted about him even before he played his first match for the college team. He remarked that Curry was something special.

Did Curry prove him right? You can take a bet that he did. He became the 2009 NCAA scoring leader. By the end of his college career, his stats said he scored 25.3 points per game. He became the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

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13. Kevin Durant

Career Highlights

• Consensus First-Team All-American (2007)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (2007)
• Big 12 Player of the Year (2007)
• Hall of Fame: 2022.

Kevin Durant was 6 ft 9 inches tall when he reached college. It made him a good fit for basketball. His coach had high hopes regarding him, not because of his height only. Durant’s performance in high school was nothing short of impressive.

Durant played as a forward. And he knew his role very well as a forward. He would score in every match. He recorded an average score of 25.8 points per game. He was good at grabbing rebounds as well.

Durant won the Naismith College Player of the Year in 2007. He became the first player to win the award while being a freshman. He played for the college team for only two seasons. The following year he declared for the NBA draft. And he was the overall second pick of that year’s draft.

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14. Patrick Ewing

Career Highlights

• NCAA Champion: 1984
• 3 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1983-85)
• 2 times Big East Player of the Year (1984-85)
• Hall of Fame: 2008

Patrick Ewing was a man of surprises. After his great performance in high school, he received several offers. Many thought he was going to join  Boston College. However, Ewing shocked everyone by declaring that he was going to Georgetown.

Many thought Ewing made a mistake by joining Georgetown as the team was not a favorite in the competition. But in the very first match, they gave a very tough fight to the tournament heavyweight  Virginia. Ewing’s performance in the match put him into the limelight.

Ewing played a key role in Georgetown’s 1984 NCAA championship. His four-year run with Georgetown is considered one of the best college careers of all time. He was the big fish in the 1985 NBA draft whom everyone wanted in their team. He was picked at number one in the draft without any surprise.

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15. Elgin Baylor

Career Highlights

• NCAA Runner-up: 1958
• NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player: 1958
• 2 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1957-58)
• Hall of Fame: 2006

You cannot put the name of Elgin Baylor on this list. He was agile, athletic, and knew the game very well. He was a forward for the Seattle Redhawks in college.

Elgin Baylor comes from Washington, DC, USA. His performance at high school was exceptionally good. However, he did not receive any offer from any school. During that time, recruiters did not visit black schools to recruit new players.

One of his friends helped him get a scholarship at the College of Idaho. He never played football for college, though. Instead, he joined the basketball team and was impressive in it. Baylor became the best player the in his first season, scoring 31 points per game.

Baylor showed a rare combination of being the best at both scoring and rebounding. His rebound average was 19.0. Luck was not very supportive of Baylor. His college team’s head coach was suspended, and his scholarship was also restricted.

Luckily, Baylor got to play for Seattle University the next season. He got more exposure in this team and got drafted into the NBA in the 1958 draft. He was the overall first pick of the year’s draft. Years of hard work paid for him.

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16. Shaquille O’Neal

Career Highlights

• SEC Player of the Year: 2 times (1991, 1992)
• Consensus First-Team All-American (1991)
• Hall of Fame: 2014

You cannot expect to have a best basketball player list without Shaquille O’Neal, can you? The legendary Shaq played for Louisiana State University in college.

Shaq was born in Newark, New Jersey. He won almost all the awards in his college years. He became a two-time SEC Player of the Year. He recorded 21.6 points per game and 13.6 rebounds. LSU acknowledged his contribution to the college and inducted him into the LSU Hall of Fame.

Shaq was the hottest pick in the 1992 draft. The Orlando Magic did not take any chances and picked him at number one in that year’s draft. Everyone had high hopes for him. And he surely became one of the greatest players in NBA history.

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17. Grant Hill

Career Highlights

• NCAA Champion: 1991, 1992
• ACC Rookie of the Year (1991)
• 2 times Consensus First-Team All-American (1993-94)
• Hall of Fame: 2014

The Detroit Pistons picked Grant Hill as the overall third pick. What was so special about Grant Hill? He was a champion. He was a two-time NCAA Champion in college. But let’s start from the beginning.

Grant Hill is from Dallas, Texas. He was born in 1972. Hill was a high performer in high school. He received offers from multiple colleges. His mother wanted him to join Georgetown. On the other hand, his father wanted him to join the University of North Carolina.

Where did Hill join? He joined Duke University. There he played for the Blue Devils for years. Hill won all the awards in these four years. He became a two-time NCAA champion, ACC Rookie of the Year, and many more.

Hill’s fame spread around the basketball community. You can guess already that he was picked very early in the draft. Hill became the overall third pick in the 1994 draft. Duke retired Hill’s number 33 and inducted him into the Hall of Fame too.

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18. Michael Jordan

Career Highlights

• NCAA Champion: 1982
• Consensus First-Team All-American (1984)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1984)
• Hall of Fame: 2006

Michael Jordan is one of the biggest names in American basketball. He is arguably the best guard in the history of the NBA. He became a national sensation in his high school career, averaging more than 25 points per game.

Jordan joined North Carolina after high school. He led North Carolina to win the NCAA Championship in 1982. He was named the Naismith College Player of the Year in 1984. He finished his college career with a career record of a 17.7 scoring average, 1.8 assists, and five rebounds per game.

He became the overall third pick in the 1984 draft. It was a great honor for twenty-one-year-old Michael Jordan.

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19. Magic Johnson

Career Highlights

• NCAA Champion: 1979
• NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 1979
• Consensus First-Team All-American (1979)
• Hall of Fame: 2006

Many considered Magic Johnson to be the greatest point guard in the NBA. He played 13 seasons in the NBA and won five NBA titles. But before becoming the most dominant man on an NBA court, he was also jumping around on a college court.

Johnson was born in Lansing, Michigan. He joined Michigan State College after graduating from high school. The fun thing is Johnson did not have any plan to pursue his career in basketball. But he was a natural with the ball. And soon, he decided to become a professional player.

Johnson led his college to the NCAA championship. He was the best performer in the tournament and was handed the NCAA tournament most outstanding player award. It was very difficult to stop him from scoring and to avoid him.

NBA teams kept an eye on the rising young player. And when the time came to draft the young boy, the Los Angeles Lakers picked him as number one. Johnson then would help the Lakers win five NBA championships.

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20. Allen Iverson

Career Highlights

• Big East Rookie of the Year (1996)
• First-Team All-Big East (1996)
• Hall of Fame: 2016

Allen Iverson represented the Georgetown Hoyas in his college career. He showed great performance in his first year. He was named the Big East Rookie of the Year in 1996. He quickly came to everyone’s attention.

You need to accept the fact that Georgetown did not have much of a strong basketball team. Yet, Iverson tried his best to change the history of the team. He took the Hoyas to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament with His sheer dedication and hard work. They could not go any further, though.

Iverson declared for the NBA draft after spending only two seasons with his college team. To everyone’s surprise, he was the first pick of the 1996 draft. He soon proved that he was already ready for the big league.

Iverson recorded a career average of 23 points per game and 4.6 assists. He certainly belongs to the class of the top 20 NCAA best college basketball players of all time.

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Conclusion

College years are the time for young basketball players to prove themselves. They can show their talent, skills, and athleticism and draw the attention of big clubs. The top 20 NCAA best college basketball players of all time are good examples of it.

These players established themselves as stars in their college careers. They gave hints of becoming future stars, and they eventually registered their names as legends in basketball. They have become idols and role models for the upcoming players.

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