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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) /
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4. Gail Goodrich, G (1962-65)

Why Goodrich is on this list:

Coming out of high school, many college coaches thought Goodrich was too short to play at the next level. That did not concern John Wooden who brought him to Westwood to play at the guard position and he did not disappoint. Goodrich did not let his perceived small stature affect his game. Though he was only 6’1, he played like he was 7 feet tall.

In his junior (1964) and senior (1965) seasons, he led the Bruins in scoring. And what did that bring the UCLA basketball program? Their first two national championships in program history. Along with Keith Erickson, Fred Slaughter, and Walt Hazzard, the Bruins went 30-0 in 1964 to defeat Duke. They followed that up with a 28-2 record and a win over Michigan in the 1965 National Championship Game where Goodrich scored 42 points.

At that time, Goodrich left UCLA as the Bruins’ all-time leading scorer with 1,690 points.

UCLA Career Stats

  • FG%: .476
  • FT%: .699
  • Rebs/gm: 4.7
  • Total Rebs: 619
  • Pts/gm: 19.0
  • Total Pts: 1690

Key Accomplishments

  • NCAA Championships: 1964, 1965
  • Pac-12 Champs: 1963, 1964, 1965
  • All-American: 1965
  • All-Pac-8: 1964, 1965
  • Player of the Year: 1965
  • UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Member: 1984
  • #25 Jersey Retired: 2004
  • One of only 40 Players to Win an NCAA and NBA Championship

Though he had a lot of success at UCLA, he was still thought of as too small to play the game in the pros. He proved his doubters wrong. He was a territorial pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1965, though he went to the Phoenix Suns in 1968 in the expansion draft. He returned to LA in 1970 and that’s where things really kicked into high gear.

In his second year back with the purple and gold, he helped lead the Lakers to their first championship in LA. He also led the team in scoring in four different seasons, was a 5-time All-Star and an All-NBA team selection. Goodrich is one of three players that has his jersey retired by UCLA and the Lakers.