Do You Remember The Best College Basketball Players Ever?

Every year, March Madness shows off the greatest talent in college basketball on a national level. There are plenty of teams led by the top current superstars (Stephen Curry) or NBA legends (Michael Jordan), so the tournament is filled with the best of the best.

However, the greatest college basketball players didn’t just help those teams get a spot in the competition, which is a full month long. They also assisted the program and took it to new heights. That’s why they’re still celebrated today. This list shows the all-time best college basketball players. Peruse them now and learn a bit more!

Lew Alcindor

Lew Alcindor, Kareem Abdul-Jabber, is an all-time lead scorer for the NBA. In college and high school, he was called Ferdinand. He got recruited by UCLA after he won 71 straight games. That success continued to college, where he went 88-2, winning three national championships!

Bill Walton

It’s hard to follow in a legend’s footsteps, but that’s what Bill Walton did once he went to UCLA. He led the Bruins to get two undefeated seasons and an 88-game winning streak. Plus, he sunk 21 out of 22 shot attempts in the 1973 NCAA Final!

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain was one of the most feared scorers in college basketball. He played for Kansas and got 52 points and 31 rebounds in his debut. From there, he took the team to the title game in March Madness, facing North Carolina.

Christian Laettner

Referees tended to let players get away with more in the 90s than they do now. Christian Laettner was a star player for Duke and took full advantage of that, becoming one of the biggest bullies in NCAA history! Still, he was very athletically gifted!

David Thompson

UCLA was undefeated for March Madness from 1967 to 1973, but David Thompson, playing for North Carolina State, changed all that in 1974. The teams met, but NC State was victorious, riding that momentum to the national championship!

Michael Jordan

Everyone knows how powerful Michael Jordan was in the NBA, but he was dominant as a college player, too. He played for the University of North Carolina, taking the Tar Heels to Georgetown and winning. After three years, he went to the NBA draft.

Jerry West

Jerry West is a legendary NBA star, and his silhouette is the logo. However, he started at West Virginia, getting 13 rebounds and 25 points for each game. He almost led the team to victory against Berkeley, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson was the only college player to finish the March Madness career with four triple-doubles. Plus, he scored 56 points in just one game, which is the third-highest in tournament history. Compared to Magic Johnson, he’s done much more.

Grant Hill

When Grant had to pick a college program, he was torn. His mom wanted him to attend Georgetown, but his father preferred UNC. Finally, he chose Duke and played with Christian Laettner, which was the right decision for him!

Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing was the star basketball player for Georgetown University in the 1980s. In fact, he had three NCAA appearances and one win, which helped him get into the University of Houston. From there, he went pro, returning to his first college to be a head coach.

Bill Russell

When Bill Russel ended his pro career, he had won 13 championships. Before he went to the Celtics, he put the University of San Francisco on the map, leading the school to championships in 1955 and 1956. Plus, he was a dangerous defender.

Hank Gathers

Hank was the second player in history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding, which happened in 1988 and 1989. He was the greatest NBA prospect of the time, but tragedy struck. During a game, he collapsed and found out he had an abnormal heartbeat. He ended up passing away at 23.

Scott May

Scott is a lower-profile player. Though he had a strong college career, he never became an NBA star. Still, his accomplishments are worth mentioning. He averaged about 18 points per game and was part of the undefeated Division I program.

James Worthy

James was named the Most Outstanding Player in 1982 at March Madness. He was also part of the Tar Heels team, helping the school win its first NCAA title. Plus, he was just as good in the NBA and won three championships for the Lakers.

Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem played with the University of Houston and faced stiff competition. Despite his decorated career in college, he never propelled his College team to win an NCAA title. Plus, he lost constantly to Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing.

Earvin Magic Johnson

Before Earvin Johnson played at Michigan State, the school was really unknown in the basketball world. It took two years to transform the program, and Magic even went toe-to-toe with Larry Bird. This match happened in 1979, and both players became NBA icons.

Larry Bird

Larry Bird was called the “hick from the lick” and returned to Indiana to play basketball after not making it with Bobby Knight. Bird played with the Sycamores and flourished, averaging about 30 points per game and 13 rebounds each game.

Austin Carr

Austin Carr was a prolific scorer in NCAA tournament history. He played for Notre Dame and took shot after shot, though he never went lower than 45 points per game. Still, 61 was his highest, which is the record for Division I tournaments.

Len Bias

Len Bias was raw and undisciplined as a college freshman, averaging 22 minutes per game to learn the ropes. However, he was getting 37 minutes per game and about 23.2 points by his senior year. This earned him many accolades, though he never made it to the NBA because his life was cut short.

Gail Goodrich

Before Lew made it to UCLA, Gail was the star. He was named player of the year for 1964 and 1965, helping to kick off the dynasty. When Alcindor arrived, it solidified the lineup and made it unbeatable.

Ralph Sampson

Ralph stood 7’4″ and gave everything to the Virginia Cavaliers. He got player of the year three times but couldn’t bring the title home to the school. In fact, they made it to the Final Four but lost in 1981. Still, he was the first pick for the draft once he went pro.

Pete Maravich

Once Pete left Louisiana State University and went pro, he already had the highest score in NCAA history. He averaged 44.2 points per game, so that proved he was the one-man wrecking crew the college needed. That’s probably why he got the nickname “Pistol Pete.”

Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas was an iconic member of the Bad Boy Pistons (Detroit) in the 1980s. However, he got everyone’s attention while in college, playing for Indiana with Bobby Knight. That game saw him score 23 points, steal four times, and play the full 40 minutes.

Steve Alford

Steve played for the Indiana Hoosiers and Bobby Knight, earning the most successful career from that school. When he went pro, he was the best scorer and had already been MVP four different times. He went to the NBA and played for the Dallas Mavericks, heading back to school to be a coach afterward.

Danny Manning

Danny Manning was the greatest player in the Kansas Jayhawk’s history. What he did in that title game made him stand out. The team was considered the underdog in 1988, but Manning exploded with 18 rebounds, 31 points, five steals, and two blocked shots.

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaq played in college for Louisiana State University and made a name for himself. When he went pro, he’d already won player of the year twice and had an Adolph Rupp trophy. Plus, he left college and went to the NBA earlier than normal, and is now a businessman.

Stephen Curry

Stephen didn’t get much respect because he attended a small school. Curry was the star of the Davidson team and averaged 25.3 points per game with 30 minutes in the game. The world finally saw him in his sophomore year.

Shane Battier

Shane went to Duke and saw success from 1998 until 2001, when he went pro. This man was athletically gifted and had a high IQ. Therefore, he was a great defender and held complete dominance on the court. He spent 14 years with the NBA, as well.

Bill Bradley

Van Breda Kolff, a college basketball coach, described Bill as “not the most physical player.” While others jumped higher and ran faster, he had discipline. Throughout his Princeton career, he kept a rigorous schedule and taught on the side, earning him several awards.

Elgin Baylor

Elgin had trouble in college, starting at the College of Idaho, where he lost the scholarship and had to re-earn his eligibility. Then, he went to Seattle University and was drafted to the Minneapolis Lakers (NBA). Baylor turned that down to stay in school!

Walter Berry

Standing about 7 feet tall, Walter was a dominant force at both colleges (San Jacinto Junior and St. John’s University). During his college career, he won the Wooden Award and was a mean offensive player. However, he never made it in the NBA.

Lionel Simmons

Many college basketball players scored tons of points and rebounds, but Lionel Simmons got 3,000 points and over 1,000 rebounds. When he left college, he had over 3,200 points, though his plans were derailed, and he didn’t do well in the NBA.

J. J. Redick

J.J. Redick was considered the most despised basketball player in college history, but he was good at Duke. In fact, this scoring machine frustrated defenses because of his abilities. Within the NBA, he had a strong career and played for five teams.

Freeman Williams

Freeman played for Portland State from 74 to 78 and was a successful scoring machine. He was averaging 30.9 points per game as a sophomore, which raised to 38.8 by his junior year. Still, his skills weren’t designed for the NBA.

Mookie Blaylock

Mookie played for Oklahoma from 87 to 89 and was known for his defense and scoring ability. Oklahoma was now a powerhouse, and Blaylock took that to the NBA to win several accolades.

Rex Chapman

Rex might be more well-known for his Twitter career than his college and NBA basketball, but that’s okay. He was a promising player, though his NBA career was filled with rehab and drug addiction. He still came through, though!

Scott Skiles

No one questions Scott’s toughness, but he was likely too strong for his own good. He was fighting the law off the court while wreaking havoc on the opposing teams. In fact, he got arrested three times at Michigan, though he cleaned up his act.

Reggie Williams

Reggie proved that college basketball was a team sport and was the best player on a bad team. His college career could have had a winning record if he had more talent surrounding him, but Virginia Military Institute struggled.

Alfredrick Hughes

Alfredrick was a one-man show and a member of Loyola University’s basketball program from 1981 to 1985. Though he missed 20 shots in a row once, he kept trying. While he wasn’t always successful, he did try hard.

Daren Queenan

Daren is 6’4″, so he was on the short end of the stick. While he had a decorated collegiate career with 1,013 rebounds and 2,703 points, no team wanted to take a chance. Therefore, he went to Belgium.