Top 10 Best UCLA Basketball Players

With 11 National Championships, the UCLA Bruins are the winningest program in NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball history. Their success was built by head coach John Wooden, who built multiple dynasties of great players over his 27-year spell at the school. Now, let’s see who are the greatest players in UCLA’s history.

Who Are the Best UCLA College Basketball Players of All Time?

1. Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
2. Bill Walton
3. Reggie Miller
4. Gail Goodrich
5. Jamaal Wilkes
6. Marques Johnson
7. Walt Hazzard
8. Don MacLean
9. Sidney Wicks
10. Ed O’Bannon

1. Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)

• Three-time NCAA Champion
• Three-time National College Player of the Year
• Three-time first-team All-American

Lew Alcindor (converted to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after his UCLA career) is not only UCLA’s greatest player ever, but is also considered one of the best players in the history of men’s college basketball. The Harlem native spent four years at UCLA, winning a National Championship in each of his last three years at the school.

Abdul-Jabbar was so dominant in college that the NCAA had to ban the slam dunk after his freshman season. Nonetheless, he kept on racking up points thanks to his very own “skyhook,” a shot that made him unguardable throughout his whole career. Abdul-Jabbar graduated from UCLA as a three-time winner of the National College Player of the Year award, while also being named the Most Outstanding Player in each of his Final Four trips.

2. Bill Walton

• Two-time NCAA Champion
• Three-time Naismith National Player of the Year
• Three-time consensus first-team All-American

While many programs would have struggled to replace someone as dominant as Alcindor when he graduated in 1969, UCLA immediately found another transcendent talent in center Bill Walton.

Walton joined UCLA in 1971 following a great career in high school, which made him one of the best prospects in the nation. In four years as a Bruin, Walton won the National Championship twice and was named Naismith National Player of the Year three times. He is also the holder of many records at the school, including most career rebounds and most rebounds in a season.

3. Reggie Miller

• Two-time first-team All-Pac-10
• 1985 NIT Champion
• Number 31 jersey retired by UCLA

Despite never winning a National Championship at the school, Reggie Miller is among the greatest players to have ever worn the blue and gold and the best player in the post-Wooden era. Miller was a true scoring machine at the school, finishing his UCLA career as the third all-time scorer and as one of the few Bruins with multiple 40-point games.

Miller enrolled at UCLA in 1983 and only reached the NCAA Tournament in his senior year. However, the team played in the National Invitation Tournament in 1985, defeating Indiana in the championship game. Reggie Miller showed all of his dominance, scoring 18 points in the game and taking home the MVP award of the tournament.

4. Gail Goodrich

• Two-time NCAA Champion
• 1965 consensus first-team All-American
• Number 25 jersey retired by UCLA

Before Lew Alcindor enrolled at UCLA in 1966, Gail Goodrich was considered the best player in the history of the program. He was a great high school player, but his low stature (6ft 1in) led many colleges to pass on him. However, coach John Wooden decided to offer him a scholarship and made him the star of the team. Wooden ended up winning his bet, as Goodrich led the Bruins to their first National Championship titles.

Goodrich scoring abilities allowed him to quickly start dominating the college scene, especially in the tournament. His 42 points in the 1965 National Championship game remains one of the most legendary performances in men’s college basketball history.

5. Jamaal Wilkes

• Two-time NCAA Champion
• Two-time consensus first-team All-American
• Number 52 jersey retired by UCLA

Having joined UCLA in 1971, LA native Jamaal Wilkes went on to form one of the most lethal forward-center duos with Bill Walton. The two dominated the scene in the early seventies, leading UCLA to an 88-game winning streak, during which they were able to bring back-to-back championships to campus in 1972 and 1973.

During his time as a Bruin, Wilkes was a two-time consensus first-team All-American, making both appearances during his upperclassman years. Wilkes also played a decisive role in his first National Championship in 1972, as he was included in the NCAA All-Tournament Team for that year.

6. Marques Johnson

• 1975 NCAA Champion
• 1977 National college player of the year
• 1977 consensus first-team All-American

Small forward Marques Johnson was the last great star to play under coach John Wooden, giving him his 10th and final National Championship in 1975 and then became the leader under head coach Gene Bartow.

Johnson enrolled at UCLA in 1973 and started getting regular game time in his sophomore season, when he averaged over 11 points and was in the starting lineup that won the National Championship against Kentucky in 1975. The forward had his best year in 1977, when he was consensus first-team All-American and won both National College Player of the Year and Pac-8 Player of the Year awards.

7. Walt Hazzard

• 1964 NCAA Champion
• 1964 consensus first-team All-American
• Number 42 jersey retired by UCLA

Walt Hazzard is among the greatest contributors to the UCLA men’s basketball program, as he both played and coached at the school. Hazard enrolled at UCLA in 1961 as one of the best high school players in the country and took the program to its first-ever NCAA Final Four in his first full season in varsity the following year.

Two years after the school’s first Final Four appearance, Hazzard led the Bruins to their first undefeated season in 1964, winning the National Championship by dominating against Duke in the final. The guard won the Most Outstanding Player award during that Final Four run and was also named a consensus first-team All-American.

8. Don MacLean

• UCLA’s all-time leading scorer
• 1992 consensus first-team All-American
• Pac-10 Freshman of the Year

Although Don MacLean was never able to win a National Championship with UCLA, he still managed to entertain the Bruins fanbase, breaking many records and graduating in 1992 as the all-time leading scorer in the school’s history.

Don MacLean enrolled at UCLA in 1988 and started dominating right away as he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. He kept his stellar play throughout his whole college career and had his best season as a senior, being named a 1992 consensus first-team All-American and leading his team to the Elite Eight, where the UCLA  team led by head coach Jim Harrick lost to Indiana.

9. Sidney Wicks

• Three-time NCAA Champion
• 1971 consensus first-team All-American
• Number 35 jersey retired by UCLA

Sidney Wicks was one of the finest forwards in UCLA history and kept the program in the nation’s elite even after Alcindor’s graduation. Due to poor grades, Wicks was unable to enroll at UCLA right after high school and to wait until 1969 to join the program after completing a year at Santa Monica College.

The Bay Area native won a National Championship in each of his three years as a Bruin. He was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in the 1970 title run, the first without Alcindor. Wicks was also named a consensus first-team All-American in 1971.

10. Ed O’Bannon

• 1995 NCAA Champion
• 1995 Pac-10 co-Player of the Year
• Number 31 jersey retired by UCLA

Ed O’Bannon is the last star in the history of the Bruins to bring a National Championship to the school. He committed to play at UCLA in 1991, but had to miss almost a year and a half of action due to an horrific injury suffered prior to his freshman campaign.

The LA native came back from his injury stronger than ever and immediately started dominating in the Pac-10, as he was named to the first-team All-Conference for three consecutive years. In his senior year in 1995, after a campaign as the Pac-10 co-Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American, he led UCLA to their 11th championship and won the Final Four MOP after a monster performance in the championship game against Arkansas.

Honorable Mentions

• Aaron Afflalo
• Lonzo Ball
• Henry Bibby
• Baron Davis
• David Greenwood
• Jason Kapono
• Kevin Love
• Pooh Richardson
• Richard Washington  
• Russell Westbrook

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