The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded since 2004, the award was one of four new awards (along with the Jerry West Award, Julius Erving Award and Karl Malone Award) created as part of the inaugural College Basketball Awards show in 2015.[1] It is named after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who played the position. The inaugural winner was Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin.[2]
| Awarded for | the nation's top male center in NCAA basketball |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| History | |
| First award | 2015 |
| Most recent | Zach Edey, Purdue |
| Website | Official website |
Key
edit| * | Awarded a national player of the year award: Sporting News; Oscar Robertson Trophy; Associated Press; NABC; Naismith; Wooden |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at that point |
Winners
edit
Jakob Pöltl, Utah, 2016
Ángel Delgado, Seton Hall, 2018
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin, 2019
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Zach Edey, Purdue, 2024
| Season | Player | School | Class | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Frank Kaminsky* | Wisconsin | Senior | [2] |
| 2015–16 | Jakob Pöltl | Utah | Sophomore | [3] |
| 2016–17 | Przemek Karnowski | Gonzaga | Senior | [4] |
| 2017–18 | Ángel Delgado | Seton Hall | Senior | [5] |
| 2018–19 | Ethan Happ | Wisconsin | Senior | [6] |
| 2019–20 | Luka Garza | Iowa | Junior | [7] |
| 2020–21 | Luka Garza* (2) | Iowa | Senior | [8] |
| 2021–22 | Oscar Tshiebwe* | Kentucky | Junior | [9] |
| 2022–23 | Zach Edey* | Purdue | Junior | [10] |
| 2023–24 | Zach Edey* (2) | Purdue | Senior | [11] |
Winners by school
edit| School | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 2 | 2020, 2021 |
| Purdue | 2 | 2023, 2024 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 2015, 2019 |
| Gonzaga | 1 | 2017 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 2022 |
| Seton Hall | 1 | 2018 |
| Utah | 1 | 2016 |
References
edit- ^ "College Basketball Awards handed out". Valley News. Lebanon, New Hampshire. April 11, 2015. p. 16. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "UW's Kaminsky wins Wooden Award". Chippewa Herald-Telegram. Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. April 11, 2015. p. 10. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Barkowitz, Ed (June 22, 2016). "25 things to ponder about NBA draft". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 43. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (April 8, 2017). "Gonzaga's Karnowski named best center". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. B1. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Carino, Jerry (April 9, 2018). "Seton Hall's Delgado captures the Kareem award". The Central Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. p. B2. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Happ selected nation's top center". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. April 13, 2019. p. B2. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hlas, Mike (April 8, 2020). "Garza denied player of year award; Garza was named the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winner, though". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. p. P1. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hlas, Mike (April 4, 2021). "Iowa's Garza winner of Naismith Trophy; Also repeats as winner of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. p. P1. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Oscar Tshiebwe has won a truckload of trophies. Here's the full—and historic—list". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. April 7, 2022. p. B4. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "IMG Academy Alumni Zach Edey Sweeps Three Major 2023 College Player of the Year Awards". IMGAcademy.com. Bradenton, Florida. April 5, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ "Edey Collects Naismith, Abdul-Jabbar Awards". BigTen.com. Phoenix, Arizona. April 8, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.