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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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3. Marques Johnson, F (1973-77)

Why Johnson is on this list:

Quite possibly one of the most exciting players to play in blue and gold (aside from #1 and #2 on this list), Johnson was a star at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Coming out of Crenshaw High School, Johnson was destined to be a star and proved to be worthy of that acclaim in his sophomore season when he led the UCLA basketball program to their 10th and John Wooden’s final championship.

Though Wooden retired after that season, Johnson kept up his stats under new head coach Gene Bartow, averaging 17.3 and 21.4 in his junior and senior seasons, respectively. In his final year, he also contributed 11.1 rebounds and an astounding .591 field goal percentage. That helped him win  Pac-8 Player of the Year, National Player of the Year, and All-American honors in 1977.

UCLA Career Stats

  • FG%: .568
  • FT%: .692
  • Rebs/gm: 7.8
  • Total Rebs: 897
  • Pts/gm: 14.4
  • Total Pts: 1659

Key Accomplishments

  • NCAA Championships: 1975
  • Pac-8 Champs: 1975, 1976, 1977
  • All-American: 1977
  • All-Pac-8: 1969, 1970
  • Pac-8 Player of the Year:1977
  • National Player of the Year: 1977
  • John R. Wooden Award Winner: 1977 (The award’s very first recipient)
  • UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Member: 1988
  • #54 Jersey Retired: 1996
  • One of only 40 Players to Win an NCAA and NBA Championship

In 1977, he was selected 3rd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Draft and was named Rookie of the Year in his first season. He was also a 5-time All-Star during his 12 years in the Association.

Johnson is another former Bruin who got into the entertainment business as an actor, landing roles in such movies as White Men Can’t Jump, Blue Chips and Forget Paris. He currently works as a basketball analyst for Fox Sports