Which College Produces The Most Nba Players?

We all know that college basketball is a huge deal in the United States. But which college produces the most NBA players? Here’s a look at the top five schools.

Kentucky

In 2012, Kentucky became the first college in history to have five players drafted in the first round of the NBA draft. In the following year, they had six players drafted in the first round, which set a new record. As of 2019, a total of 41 Kentucky players have been drafted into the NBA.

All-Time NBA Players: 48

The University of Kentucky has produced the most NBA players of any college, with 48 players drafted into the league. This includes 10 players who were drafted in the first round and 16 who were drafted in the second round. Kentucky also has the most NBA All-Stars of any college, with 20 players selected to participate in the annual game.

Notable Kentucky NBA players include Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Karl-Anthony Towns, John Wall, and Rajon Rondo.

Notable NBA Players: Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMarcus Cousins

Kentucky has been one of the most successful college basketball programs in recent years. Three of their former players – Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and DeMarcus Cousins – were all drafted in the first round of the NBA draft, and Davis and Towns have both gone on to be named NBA All-Stars.

Duke

Duke has had the most NBA players of any college since the 2013-2014 season. In that season, Duke had 14 former players on NBA rosters. That is 5 more than the next closest school, Kentucky.

All-Time NBA Players: 41

The 41 NBA players below have attended Duke University. That’s the most of any school, four more than North Carolina.

Duke has had at least one player drafted in every NBA Draft since 1966. The school has had multiple players drafted in the same year eight times, most recently in 2017 when three Blue Devils were taken.

Duke has seen 36 first-round picks in its history, which is tied with UCLA for fourth most all time. Seven of those came in the lottery, which is tied with Kentucky for second most all time behind only UCLA (10).

Notable NBA Players: Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Jabari Parker

Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, and Jabari Parker are all notable NBA players who attended Duke University.

Kyrie Irving was the number one overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He is a 6-time All-Star and was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2012. Kyrie has career averages of 22.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.

Zion Williamson was the number one overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He is a 6-8 power forward who averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game during his only season at Duke.

Jabari Parker was the number two overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He is a 6-8 forward who has career averages of 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

UCLA

All-Time NBA Players: 39

UCLA has the most all-time NBA players with 39, followed by Kentucky with 34 and Indiana with 28.

Notable NBA Players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Reggie Miller

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player who is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He played 20 seasons in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, winning six NBA championships with the latter.

Bill Walton is an American former basketball player who is also considered one of the greatest ever. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers, winning an NBA championship with the Blazers in 1977. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and won two NCAA championships with UCLA.

Reggie Miller is an American retired professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year career with the Indiana Pacers. He was a five-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member. In 2000, Miller was ranked #36 on Slam Magazine’s Top 50 players of all time list.

North Carolina

There have been many great players to come out of the University of North Carolina. Most recently, players like Harrison Barnes, Tyler Hansbrough, and Ty Lawson have made waves in the NBA. North Carolina has a rich tradition of producing great basketball players.

All-Time NBA Players: 38

The University of North Carolina has 38 former Tar Heel men’s basketball players who have gone on to play in the NBA. That is the most of any college in the country.

The 38 former UNC Tar Heels who have played in the NBA are:

Johnny Dawkins, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, George Karl, Hubert Davis, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Brendan Haywood, Raymond Felton, Sean May, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, John Henson, Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock, Kendall Marshall, James Michael McAdoo

Notable NBA Players: Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse

Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1981 to 1984, winning a national championship in 1982. During his collegiate career, he was named ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, and NCAA College Player of the Year. He went on to have a stellar professional career, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and being named NBA MVP five times.

James Worthy also had a successful career at North Carolina, winning a national championship in 1982 and being named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. He was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and went on to win three NBA championships with the team. He was named NBA Finals MVP in 1988 and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jerry Stackhouse was another standout player for North Carolina. He played for the Tar Heels from 1991 to 1995 and was named ACC Rookie of the Year in his freshman season. He went on to have a successful professional career, playing for several teams including the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets.