UCLA Basketball: Where Amazing Happens
By Joe K
With twelve national championships, UCLA has earned the reputation as a basketball powerhouse, but unlike North Carolina, the Bruins program has not been viewed as an NBA factory like the boys in Chapel Hill have. Nothing could be further from the truth. In actuality, the Bruins program has produced several NBA stars who have won MVPs and NBA titles during their years in the pros. Take a closer look
The Past: When people think about the NBA’s greatest scorer, Michael Jordan is the first name that immediately comes to mind, but it is former UCLA standout Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lou Alcindor at the time) who is actually the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. In addition to being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the Hall of Fame center ranks third all-time in blocks, holds six MVP trophies, and has made 19 All-Star teams. However, Kareem’s success wasn’t limited to the regular season, as he won six championships and two Finals MVPs.
Like Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton is another Hall of Fame center from UCLA who became a dominant center under John Wooden. In addition to earning All-Star honors twice in his career, Walton is an NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and two-time NBA champion as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics.
However, Walton and Abdul-Jabbar are not the only Bruin greats who have made a name for themselves in the pros. They are joined in the Hall of Fame by former Laker guard Gail Goodrich, an NBA champion and five-time All-Star. Former Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller is a futre hall of famer, who has hit the most three-pointers in NBA history and ranks 12th all-time in scoring. In addition to his offensive accolades, Miller is a five-time All-Star and an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist.
The Present: This season eleven former Bruins suited up for an NBA team. Two-time All-Star Baron Davis of the Golden State Warriors has become of the most dangerous run-and-gun point guards in the league under Don Nelson who has implemented a high-octane system. Raptors swingman Jason Kapono is a two-time winner of the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout and currently is the NBA’s leader in three-point percentage. Back in 2006, Kapono also won an NBA title as a member of the Miami Heat.
Lakers guard Jordan Farmar is an emerging point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers who represented the sophomores in the this season’s T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. He has also proven to be a dependable backup for ten year veteran Derek Fisher. Aaron Afflalo of the Detroit Pistons and Trevor Ariza of Los Angeles Lakers have both proven to be dependable players for their respective teams. Matt Barnes was key to Golden State’s playoff run a year ago and Earl Watson has proved himself as a reliable NBA point guard.
The Future: Projected lottery pick Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook headline the list of Bruins in this year’s NBA Draft. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Josh Shipp have also declared for the draft. UCLA’s second-leading scorer Darren Collison was expected to be a first round pick but he decided to return to school.
Next year the Bruins will also have an exciting bunch of freshman, which Bruins Nation is dubbing the Fab Five. They are headlined by local high school star Jrue Holliday, who is expected to be the next great Bruin point guard. The other four are Jerime Anderson, Drew Gordon, J’Mison Morgan, and Malcom Lee.
Yes, the tradition continues…