Go Joe Bruin
Fansided

UCLA Basketball: The 25 Greatest Bruins of all time

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 21: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waves to fans as he arrive to attend the UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats college basketball game at Pauley Pavilion on January 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Abdul-Jabbar was honored at half-time after recently receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 21: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waves to fans as he arrive to attend the UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats college basketball game at Pauley Pavilion on January 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Abdul-Jabbar was honored at half-time after recently receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
21 of 26
Next

5. Walt Hazzard, G (1961-64)

Why Hazzard is on this list:

Few players can make an impact as both a player and a coach. Hazzard was able to do just that at UCLA. Hazzard had joined the Bruins in 1961 and made an immediate impact. UCLA was a good team in the previous 13 seasons under John Wooden, but things started to come together right around the time Hazzard got to Westwood.

In Hazzard’s first year (1961-62), he helped lead the Bruins to their first-ever Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Two years later, with a few more key contributors such as Keith Erickson, Fred Slaughter, and Gail Goodrich, the Bruins ran through the 1964 season with a 30-0 record on their way to the UCLA basketball team’s first national championship.

UCLA Career Stats

  • FG%: .432
  • FT%: .706
  • Rebs/gm: 5.5
  • Total Rebs: 475
  • Pts/gm: 16.1
  • Total Pts: 1401

Key Accomplishments

  • NCAA Championships: 1964
  • Pac-12 Champs: 1962, 1963, 1964
  • All-American: 1964
  • All-Pac-8: 1963, 1964
  • College player of the Year: 1964
  • UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Member: 1984
  • #42 Jersey Retired: 1996
  • One of only 40 Players to Win an NCAA and NBA Championship

In 1964, Hazzard was a territorial pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Draft. He spent the next nine years in the NBA, playing for five different organizations. After his professional career, he turned to coaching and was named UCLA basketball’s head coach in 1984 where he spent the next four years with the 1985 NIT Championship and 1987 Pac-10 Tournament Championship under his belt.