The All-Time UCLA Basketball Starting 5
The UCLA Bruins are one of the more iconic programs in college basketball, and no program owns more men's national titles. John Wooden led the Bruins to 10 championships between 1964 and 1975, and the team added an 11th in 1995 under Jim Harrick. Wooden's legendary tenure in Westwood on the map for eternity, but the program has had some true basketball legends pass through in the years since. Assembling an all-time UCLA starting five is no easy task because of all the talent to choose from, but we're giving it our best shot, starting with one of the best basketball players of all time.
1. Frontcourt: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was known as Lew Alcindor when he became a national star at UCLA, and he's quite possibly the single greatest college basketball player of all time. Playing at the varsity level for three seasons, the Bruins were nearly unbeatable, losing just two games over that stretch. Three First-Team All-American nods, three seasons at National Player of the Year, three Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards, and three national titles for the Bruins? That's simply unheard of; so was his unprecedented run of success in the NBA with the Bucks and Lakers.
2. Frontcourt: Bill Walton
Before Bill Walton was known for being a goofy broadcaster he was an absolute star as a player. He arrived in Westwood 1971 and finished his Bruins career with two national championships and was a three-time consensus All-American. Walton's stardom reached a whole new level in the 1973 national championship game when he scored 44 points on 21-22 shooting. This marked the program's seventh straight championship, and had NBA teams impatiently waiting for UCLA's all-time rebounding leader to enter the draft. He followed in Kareem's footsteps by being a No. 1 overall pick, and later won one NBA championship ecah with the Blazers and Celtics, as well as a league MVP award. In 1993, he became the first UCLA player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
3. Backcourt: Jamaal Wilkes
Jamaal Wilkes was at UCLA the same time as Walton, and was twice named a consensus First Team All-American, showing why the Bruins were nearly impossible to beat in the early 1970s. The 6-7 wing averaged 15 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in three seasons, and has his No. 52 jersey retired by the program. His success in college led to being selected No. 11 overall in the 1974 draft by the Golden State Warriors, beginning a career that saw the forward finish as a four-time NBA champion, including three with Kareem's Lakers. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
4. Backcourt: Reggie Miller
Younger generations know Reggie Miller as an announcer. Those who saw him play know him as a lethal, sharpshooting scorer, and he got his start at UCLA. Miller averaged 17.2 points per game in four seasons, with his best single-season mark being 25.9 points per game in 1985-86. He is tied for third all-time in points at UCLA and is one of four players in program history to eclipse 2,000 points in a career. The inimitable guard went on to star with the Indiana Pacers from 1987-2005, and became just the third NBA player to join the 50-40-90 club in 1994. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
5. Backcourt: Gail Goodrich
Gail Goodrich was a key piece on UCLA's first two championship teams. He dropped 42 points in the 1965 title game against Michigan to cap off a season in which he was a consensus First Team All-American. The 6-1 guard averaged nearly 25 points per game in the 1964-65 season, and his success was honored when the program retired his jersey. Goodrich went on to be a five-time NBA All-Star and was a champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2006.
ALL-TIME BENCH: Don MacLean, David Greenwood, Ed O'Bannon, Walt Hazzard