Which NBA superstars won the NCAA national championship? Jordan, Magic, Anthony Davis...

Even into the 1980s, the hallmark of a successful NBA player could partially be traced to his college team’s track record.

Winning an NCAA tournament championship is no easy feat. The tournament’s elimination format guarantees that only the most exceptional teams advance to the end. To win, you must either represent one of the powerhouse college basketball programs or defeat them to claim the title.

Duke, UCLA, and Kentucky are some of the most successful programs in NCAA history, and they’ve been almost untouchable at times. Some of those schools have been the product of NBA superstars, but even some of those pro players could not win an NCAA title and an NBA Championship.

Nevertheless, NBA superstars like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson won both the NBA and NCAA championships. It has since become a rare accomplishment, especially for male players in the NBA.

Ever since women’s basketball became organized at the collegiate and pro levels, the odds of a woman winning a WNBA championship after an NCAA title has been more significant than a male player’s chances. In fact,

NBA stars who won NCAA championships

Bill Russell sits at the top of the list with the most NCAA championships in history, having won a total of 13 titles.

Fourteen-time All-Star, Michael Jordan, won one title with North Carolina in 1982 and six others with the Chicago Bulls; in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998.

Magic Johnson is another NBA star who won a total of six NCAA championship victories, one with Michigan State in 1979 and five with the Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).

Anthony Davis is another top and current player in the NBA with more than one NCAA title under his belt. The Lakers star won the championship in 2012 with Kentucky 2012 and repeated another one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Here’s a complete list of men and women NBA players with NCAA professional championships:

Men

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA 1967, 1968, 1969; Milwaukee Bucks 1971, Los Angeles Lakers 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

Lucius Allen (UCLA 1967, 1968; Milwaukee Bucks 1971)

Bob Cousey (Holy Cross 1947; Boston Celtics 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963)

Arnie Ferrin (Utah 1944; Minneapolis Lakers 1949, 1950)

Danny Green (North Carolina 2009; San Antonio Spurs 2014, Toronto Raptors 2019, Los Angeles Lakers 2020)

Frank Ramsey (Kentucky 1951; Boston Celtics 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)

Marreese Speights (Florida 2007; Golden State Warriors 2015)

Bill Russell (San Francisco 1955, 1956; Boston Celtics 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)

Shane Battier (Duke 2001; Miami Heat 2012, 2013)

Magic Johnson (Michigan State 1979; Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

Glen Rice (Michigan 1989; Los Angeles Lakers 2000)

K.C. Jones (San Francisco 1955, 1956; Boston Celtics 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)

Richard Hamilton (Connecticut 1999; Detroit Pistons 2004)

John Havlicek (Ohio State 1960; Boston Celtics 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976)

Jason Terry (Arizona 1997; Dallas Mavericks 2011)

Michael Jordan (North Carolina 1982; Chicago Bulls 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)

Gail Goodrich (UCLA 1964, 1965; Los Angeles Lakers 1972)

Antoine Walker (Kentucky 1996; Miami Heat 2006)

Bill Walton (UCLA 1972, 1973; Portland Trail Blazers 1977, Boston Celtics 1986)

Isiah Thomas (Indiana 1981; Detroit Pistons 1989, 1990)

James Worthy (North Carolina 1982; Los Angeles Lakers 1985, 1987, 1988)

Jerry Lucas (Ohio State 1960; New York Knicks 1973)

Henry Bibby (UCLA 1970, 1971, 1972; New York Knicks 1973)

Keith Erickson (UCLA 1964, 1965; Los Angeles Lakers 1972)

Jamaal Wilkes (UCLA 1972, 1973; Los Angeles Lakers 1975, 1980, 1982, 1985)

Tom Thacker (Cincinnati 1961, 1962; Boston Celtics 1968)

Quinn Buckner (Indiana 1976; Boston Celtics 1984)

Billy Thompson (Louisville 1986; Los Angeles Lakers 1987, 1988)

Corey Brewer (Florida 2006, 2007; Dallas Mavericks 2011)

Clyde Lovellette (Kansas 1952; Minneapolis Lakers 1954, Boston Celtics 1963, 1964)

Anthony Davis (Kentucky 2012; Los Angeles Lakers 2020)

Mario Chalmers (Kansas 2008; Miami Heat 2012, 2013)

Quinn Cook (Duke 2015; Golden State Warriors 2018, Los Angeles Lakers 2020)

Women

Sue Bird (Connecticut 2000, 2002; Seattle Storm 2004, 2010, 2018, 2020)

Diana Taurasi (Connecticut 2002, 2003, 2004; Phoenix Mercury 2007, 2009, 2014)

Swin Cash (Connecticut 2000, 2002; Detroit Shock 2003, 2006, Seattle Storm 2010)

Asjha Jones (Connecticut 2000, 2003; Minnesota Lynx 2015)

Maya Moore (Connecticut 2009, 2010; Minnesota Lynx 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)

Candace Parker (Tennessee 2007, 2008; Los Angeles Sparks 2016)

Tamika Catchings (Tennessee 1998; Indiana Fever 2012)

Britney Griner (Baylor 2012; Phoenix Mercury 2014)

Breanna Stewart (Connecticut 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016; Seattle Storm 2018, 2020)

Sheryl Swoopes (Texas Tech 1993; Houston Comets 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)

Cynthia Cooper (USC 1983, 1984; Houston Comets 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)

Ruth Riley (Notre Dame 2001; Detroit Shock 2003, 2006)

Kara Wolters (Connecticut 1995; Houston Comets 1999)

Renee Montgomery (Connecticut 2009; Seattle Storm 2015, Minnesota Lynx 2017)