23) Lynn Shackelford

He’s one of only four players on this list who was in the starting lineup for three UCLA championship teams, but Shackelford had the worst pro career of all Wooden-era players. Having grown up in Bakersfield before matriculating at UCLA, he had a chance to stay in Southern California for his pro career when he was drafted by the San Diego Rockets in 1969. But Shackelford was unable to make the roster and instead traveled cross-country to sign with the Miami Floridians of the ABA. Just 22 games later, Shackelford’s playing career was finished but his life in basketball was just getting started. His broadcasting days started as a color commentator alongside Chick Hearn for Lakers games, including during their first title in Los Angeles in 1972. He eventually worked on radio or TV crews for ESPN, CBS, and NBC.

22) Edgar Lacy

John Wooden rarely criticized his players publicly but made one notable exception with Lacy, which the coach later said he regretted for the rest of his life. Frustrated by UCLA’s loss to Houston in the 1968 “Game of the Century,” Wooden pinpointed Lacy’s defensive struggles against Elvin Hayes as a focal point, calling his starting forward “ineffective” to the media in a postgame interview. Lacy responded by quitting the team and subsequently watching on TV as his close friend and roommate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, led the Bruins to the 1968 title. The Celtics had drafted Lacy in 1967 but he opted to remain in school at the time. When the Warriors drafted him in 1968, he mulled it over but ultimately wanted to stay in his hometown of Los Angeles, where he was named City Player of the Year as a high school senior in 1963 before matriculating at UCLA. Lacy signed with the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA but played just one season before retiring to resume law school back at UCLA.

21) Mike Lynn

John Wooden’s era at UCLA is usually viewed through sepia-colored tones of wholesome shoe-tying lessons, but the legendary coach still had his share of player controversies. The most notable case was Lynn, who was arrested for stealing a credit card and subsequently suspended for his senior season. The power forward from nearby Covina was drafted by the Warriors in 1967 and could have made the jump to the pros. But when UCLA agreed to reinstate and redshirt him, Lynn decided to stay, winning a second championship under Wooden in 1968 as a fifth year senior. He was drafted again in 1968, this time by the Bulls, who eventually traded him to his hometown Lakers. Though his pro career lasted just 52 total games over two seasons, Lynn did get to make an NBA Finals appearance, logging one minute of garbage time in game six in 1970, as the Lakers were blowing out the Knicks.

20) Greg Lee
19) John Vallely

While Wilt Chamberlain may be the most famous basketball player who also dabbled in volleyball, Lee and Vallely were the most successful. Part of the legendary ’70-’71 freshman class that included Bill Walton and Jamaal Wilkes, Lee was the starting point guard on back-to-back UCLA titles teams in 1972 and 1973. His pro career lasted just two seasons, one with the San Diego Conquistadors of the ABA and one with the Trail Blazers. Vallely arrived in Westwood as a junior college transfer in 1968 and was the starting shooting guard on two title teams before getting drafted in the first round by the Hawks. Unfortunately for Vallely, they also drafted the more talented shooting guard Pete Maravich that same year. Vallely thus spent most of his two NBA seasons watching from the bench. But basketball was a mere side hustle for both Lee and Vallely, who both got caught up in the burgeoning L.A. beach volleyball scene in the early ’70s and eventually wound up in the sport’s Hall of Fame. Lee was especially successful, teaming with fellow Bruin alumnus Jim Menges as the most formidable beach volleyball team of the ’70s, even winning the sport’s first world championship in 1976.

18) Andre McCarter

Overbrook High School in Philadelphia produced two guards who bookended John Wooden’s dynasty. First was Walt Hazzard, starter on Wooden’s first title team in 1964, and second was McCarter, point guard for the final title run in 1975. In fact, McCarter scored the last basket of the Wooden era, a lay-up in the closing seconds of the National Final against Kentucky. After one more season at UCLA under Gene Bartow, McCarter moved on to a brief NBA career, appearing in 103 games over three seasons with the Kings and Bullets. He remained friends over the year with Wooden, who supposedly expressed remorse for hampering McCarter’s NBA potential by slotting him into a supporting role at UCLA.

17) Raymond Townsend

Though Townsend’s NBA career was short, it was not nondescript, as he became the first Filipino-American in league history. Born in San Jose to a Filipina mother and an American father, Townsend was a first round pick of the Warriors in 1978 but lasted just three seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.8 points per game. Before his pro debut, Townsend was also notable as the last ever recruit of John Wooden, joining the team as a freshman in the legendary coach’s final season, ’74-’75. UCLA won the title that year with Townsend contributing only lightly off the bench, but he was the starting shooting guard in his sophomore campaign, helping the Bruins return to the Final Four under new head coach Gene Bartow. After retiring as a player, Townsend stayed active in basketball by dedicating himself to youth training programs in his native Bay Area.

16) Steve Patterson

Hitting the Westwood campus in 1966 and then leaving as an NBA draftee in 1971, Patterson bridged the gap between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, holding down the fort at center for the Bruins for two years. As expected, he was a champion in both of those seasons and saved his best for the biggest moment, scoring a career high 29 points in the 1971 National Final win over Villanova. Patterson also enjoyed the social life in L.A., earning the nickname “Cat Man” from coach Wooden for his late night exploits. He was drafted in the second round by Cleveland in 1971 and spent four-plus years with the team, contributing mostly off the bench and averaging career highs of 7.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in ’73-’74. Knee issues forced Patterson to retire in 1975 and he later spent time as head coach at Arizona State, and as commissioner of the CBA.

15) Richard Washington

Named the Most Outstanding Player of John Wooden’s final NCAA Tournament in 1975, Washington cemented his UCLA legacy in a National Semifinal thriller against Louisville. He scored a team high 26 points, including a last second baseline jumper to win the game in overtime, to finish the tournament averaging 21.6 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. After leading UCLA back to the Final Four in ’75-’76 as the team’s top scorer and an All-American, Washington then became the first player in program history to declare early for the NBA Draft. He invoked the “hardship” clause to skip his senior season and was drafted third overall by the Kings. Things started promisingly for Washington, averaging 12.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his first two seasons, but he suffered a major knee injury in his third year and never fully recovered.

14) Dave Meyers

As part of a killer front line with Marques Johnson and Richard Washington, Meyers was the leading scorer (18.3 points per game) and rebounder (7.9 per game) on the ’74-’75 Bruins that earned the final title of John Wooden’s tenure. Meyers was also the team captain and an All-American and seemed like a safe bet when the Lakers drafted him second overall in 1975. Just a few weeks later, he was caught up in one of the most infamous trades in NBA history, dealt to Milwaukee as part of the package for fellow UCLA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In his third season with the Bucks, Meyers took over as the lead power forward, reunited in the starting lineup with the recently drafted Johnson, and averaged 14.7 points per game as Milwaukee came up just short of the Conference Finals. A back injury cost Meyers the entire ’78-’79 season and even though he came back strong in ’79-’80, his heart was no longer in the game and he retired to become a sixth grade teacher.

13) Curtis Rowe

He was an NBA All-Star in 1976 and averaged nearly a double-double multiple times, but if you ask Celtics fans, Rowe’s pro career was an unmitigated disaster. A three-time champion at UCLA alongside his close friend and teammate Sidney Wicks, Rowe was drafted 11th overall by the Pistons, finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1972 (Wicks was the winner), and averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over his first five seasons. But a 1976 trade from the Pistons to the defending champion Celtics proved disastrous for Rowe, who was reunited with Wicks but failed to replicate the success of his trade partner, Paul Silas. As the Celtics slumped in the standings over the next few years, Rowe received the bulk of fans’ ire for his perceived lack of interest. He was waived in 1979 to make way for a rookie Larry Bird and retired soon after.

12) Henry Bibby

A steady presence and one of John Wooden’s most natural leaders, Bibby was the starting point guard for three consecutive title teams, starting in 1970, and it likely would have been four if freshmen could play varsity back then. Bibby was drafted by the Knicks in the fourth round in 1972 and played light minutes as a rookie off the bench. Though the individual experience was a massive change for Bibby, the team result was more of the same, with the Knicks winning a championship. He ultimately played nine seasons with the Knicks, Jazz, 76ers, and Clippers, averaging 8.3 points and 3.6 assists per game, and making two more NBA Finals in 1977 and 1980 with Philadelphia. His son Mike opted to play his college ball at Arizona instead of UCLA and led the Wildcats to a national title in 1997, making them one of four father-son duos to both win college championships.

11) Swen Nater

Every player on the list so far was a superstar at UCLA and then a role player, at best, in the NBA, but Nater was essentially the opposite. At 6’11” and 240 pounds, he was recruited by John Wooden from junior college to specifically act as a big body to challenge Bill Walton in practices and occasionally spell him in games. Nater won two titles at UCLA while playing entirely off the bench and averaging just 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. But his size was enticing enough that the Bucks made him the first player ever drafted in the first round despite never starting a game in college. Nater started off in the ABA instead, making two All-Star Games and leading the league in rebounding, then eventually did join the Bucks and spent nine years in the NBA. In an interesting twist of fate, he was traded to the Clippers in 1977 and soon after became Walton’s backup again. But this time Walton’s injuries kept him mired on the bench while Nater held down the starting center job for the better part of four seasons.

10) Keith Erickson

John Wooden once called Erickson the best pure athlete he’d ever coached and with good reason. In addition to being the starting small forward on the first two title squads of the Wooden era, Erickson was also a scholarship athlete for UCLA baseball and played on the U.S. volleyball team at the 1964 Olympics. A third round pick of the Warriors in 1968, Erickson spent one season with Golden State and two with the Bulls before returning home via trade to the Lakers. He was a vital member of the NBA Finals teams in 1970 and 1973, as well as the ’71-’72 title team, though Erickson missed that postseason with a broken leg. He also had some solid years later on with the Suns, averaging a career high 14.6 points per game in ’73-’74 and playing in one more NBA Finals in 1976.

9) Lucius Allen

From his four years at UCLA to his 10 seasons in the NBA, Allen’s career was widely marked by his connection to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Allen came to Westwood campus in 1965 as a fellow freshman with Abdul-Jabbar and the duo teamed up to lead the Bruins to back-to-back titles in 1967 and 1968. But while Abdul-Jabbar was leading the Bruins to a third straight title in ’68-’69, Allen was no longer on campus, dropping out of school following a suspension from the team over a marijuana possession arrest. He was still drafted third overall by the SuperSonics in 1969 (two spots after Abdul-Jabbar went #1), then quickly reunited with Kareem, getting traded to the Bucks after his rookie season. With play making skills and a dangerous outside shot, Allen was a key part of the 1971 Milwaukee title run and his torn knee suffered in ’73-’74 arguably cost the team a second title. Allen was never the same after that injury but spent five more solid seasons in the NBA, including one last team-up with Abdul-Jabbar on the Lakers in the late ’70s.

8) Walt Hazzard

Coming out of the same Philadelphia high school that produced Wilt Chamberlain, Hazzard ventured cross-country to join a burgeoning dynasty at UCLA. He led the team to the Final Four in 1962 and then its first national title in 1964, earning Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament in the latter. The Lakers selected him with their territorial draft pick in 1964, but Hazzard’s best seasons came later on with the expansion SuperSonics (averaging 24.0 points per game and making the All-Star roster) and then the Hawks. It’s likely that his career was cut short due to backlash over his conversion to Islam (at the urging of his good friend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and subsequent name change to Mahdi Abdul-Rahman (he eventually reverted to his birth name due to the difficulties). He returned to UCLA campus in 1984 as the head coach, leading the Bruins to one NCAA Tournament appearance in four years in charge.

7) Sidney Wicks

Between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leaving in 1969 and Bill Walton hitting campus two years later, Wicks was the star fueling the John Wooden machine. A versatile power forward with an elite scoring touch, Wicks led UCLA to back-to-back titles in 1970 and 1971, was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the former, and won the Sporting News Player of the Year award in the latter. Wicks was so prized by NBA teams that the Trail Blazers paid the Cavaliers $250,000 to let Wicks fall to the second pick in 1971 (yes, that was somehow legal back then). Portland’s investment in Wicks looked brilliant at first, as he averaged 22.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in his first five seasons, made four All-Star teams, and earned Rookie of the Year. But when the Blazers landed Maurice Lucas in 1976, Wicks was considered expendable and traded to the Celtics. His career fizzled out from there, ultimately ending quietly in 1981.

6) Willie Naulls

Born in Dallas in 1934, Naulls’ family soon moved to Los Angeles to escape segregation, leading to his 1952 matriculation at UCLA. He became the first player under John Wooden to be named an All-American in ’55-’56 and led UCLA to the Final Four, where he played admirably against Bill Russell in a loss to San Francisco. Naulls’ NBA career spanned 10 seasons and included four All-Star appearances with the Knicks and three titles with the Celtics (1964, 1965, and 1966) but his real impact on the sport had ramifications far beyond the court. In 1957 with the Knicks, Naulls became the first Black player to be named captain of an NBA team. Then, in 1964 with the Celtics, he was part of the first all-Black starting lineup alongside Russell, K.C. Jones, Satch Sanders, and Sam Jones. Naulls left UCLA in 1956 as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder and returned after his pro career ended to finish his undergraduate degree.

5) Gail Goodrich

Even though his father had been a star at rival USC, Goodrich was loyal to John Wooden, the only coach who recruited him in his junior year of high school. Wooden’s faith paid dividends, as Goodrich guided UCLA to back-to-back titles in 1964 and 1965, scoring a then NCAA record 42 points in the 1965 National Final victory over Michigan. Goodrich was also named an All-American and set the school scoring record, leading to the Lakers selecting him with their territorial pick in 1965. He reunited there with former Bruins teammate Walt Hazzard and the two had similar early career arcs. Like Hazzard, Goodrich got limited playing time in L.A., then broke out as a superstar when the expansion Suns drafted him. He returned to the Lakers via trade in 1970, this time taking on a much more prominent role and making four All-Star appearances. In fact, Goodrich was the leading scorer on the legendary ’71-’72 Lakers team, averaging 25.9 points per game. Amongst Wooden acolytes, Goodrich is second all time in career NBA points and career assists, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His jersey was ultimately retired by three L.A. institutions: John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, UCLA, and the Lakers.

4) Jamaal Wilkes

How efficient and consistent was Wilkes? John Wooden himself once called him the “ideal player” and Chick Hearn labeled his reliable jumper as a “20 foot lay-up.” Part of the same freshman class as Bill Walton in ’70-’71, Wilkes teamed up with the red-headed center to lead UCLA to back-to-back perfect seasons and an 88-game winning streak. Wilkes’ career highlight was the 1972 National Final win over Florida State, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He was drafted 11th overall by the Warriors in 1974 and became the third and final UCLA player to be named NBA Rookie of the Year (following Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Sidney Wicks). In later years with the Lakers, Wilkes was a three-time champion and crucial member of the “Showtime” crew, making All-Star appearances in 1981 and 1983 and wowing the legendary Hearn with his shooting touch. When Wilkes played his final NBA season with the Clippers in ’85-’86, it was supposedly the first time since third grade that he had played on a team with a losing record.

3) Marques Johnson

The NCAA lifted its ban on freshman players joining the varsity team in 1972, and Johnson was one of the biggest early prizewinners of that decision. A local product from Crenshaw, Johnson was supposedly recruited by a John Wooden phone call just minutes after UCLA won the 1973 National Final. Johnson played light minutes as a freshman but was the team’s third-leading scorer as a sophomore, helping them send out Wooden as a champion. Under new coach Gene Bartow, Johnson developed into one of the nation’s best players, earning every major Player of the Year award in ’76-’77, including the newly instituted Wooden Award, named after his former coach (only one UCLA player has earned it since: Ed O’Bannon in 1995). Possessing a unique play making skill set for a big man, Johnson thrived at the NBA level, innovating the “point forward” position and making five All-Star appearances and the All-NBA team three times. But one thing that didn’t carry over for Johnson from his UCLA days was winning championships. He played in two Conference Finals with the Bucks but never the NBA Finals, and later missed the postseason altogether in his final four seasons with the Clippers and Warriors.

2) Bill Walton

With 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting and 13 rebounds, Walton’s performance in the 1973 National Final victory over Memphis was arguably the greatest individual showing in NCAA Tournament history. It clinched a seventh straight title for UCLA and a 75th consecutive win in a streak that would eventually reach 88. Walton reportedly debating declaring early for the NBA after that game but opted to return for his senior season. Though he earned a third consecutive Naismith Award in ’73-’74, it was ultimately a disappointing season for Walton, as UCLA was shockingly eliminated in the National Semifinals. Drafted first overall by the Trail Blazers, Walton was instantly one of the NBA’s biggest stars but also struggled with near constant foot issues. He did have some legendary battles against his Bruins predecessor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, most notably when Walton’s Blazers upset Kareem’s Lakers in the 1977 Conference Finals. Walton and Abdul-Jabbar also wound up sharing one more distinction in common. They are the only players ever to earn the Naismith Award, the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, NBA league MVP, and NBA Finals MVP.

1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor)

Three straight titles, kicking off a streak of seven in a row, 88 wins against just two losses, every individual award imaginable, including the inaugural Naismith Award in ’68-’69. There’s no doubt Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) was the ultimate star at UCLA and his NBA resume also speaks for itself: a record seven league MVPs, two Finals MVPs, the all-time points record, and six titles. But maybe the real marvel from Abdul-Jabbar’s time at UCLA was his relationship with John Wooden. The two couldn’t be more different: Abdul-Jabbar a tall, Black, brash, outspoken New Yorker and Wooden, the short, white, introspective, seemingly autocratic Midwesterner. They first bonded over a shared dinner during a recruiting visit, when a little old lady casually referred to Kareem using the n-word and a shocked Wooden didn’t know how to react. From there, they both improved as coach/player and as human beings through mutual respect and active listening. This was most notable in Wooden’s support of Abdul-Jabbar’s boycott of the 1968 Olympics due to racial prejudice and in his 1971 name change away from Alcindor (though Wooden did insist on continuing to call him Lew). They are, without a doubt, the greatest combination of coach and player in NCAA history, and Abdul-Jabbar’s further NBA success was in many ways attributable to their enduring friendship.

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