10 Best CBB Players

The funny thing about college basketball is that sometimes great players don't get drafted to the NBA. Many college basketball superstars put on spectacular performances for their schools, given the competitive tournament game-play that they are privy to. When the NBA goes scouting during the draft, not every terrific CBB player gets signed. In our quest to uncover the top 10 CBB players, we wound the clocks back to bring you a list of talented athletes.

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#10 – Lionel Simmons (1986 – 1990)

Lionel Simmons played for La Salle. Back in the 80s, he competed for 4 seasons at CBB level, with an average of 24.6 points per game, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 blocks. He was instrumental in the 29-1 regular-season record when the Explorers competed at the NCAA Tournament. It was during that season that he was named the AP Player of the Year. What's even more exceptional about him is that he scored a whopping 3,000 pts, with 1,100+ rebounds. With such a high average number of points scored per game, he was known as the ‘Double-Double’ machine, with double pts scored for 115 consecutive games.

#9 – C.J. McCollum (2009 – 2013)

Christian James McCollum played for Lehigh College between 2009 – 2013. During his 4 years with Lehigh College, he competed in 111 games, averaged 21.3 points per game, with 2.7 assists, and 6.3 total rebounds. He was the 2X Player Of The Year. He played 33 games in his first season, 31 games in his second season, 35 games in his third season, and 12 games in his final year, due to injury. His junior season in college was his best ever, and he ended up in the NCAA Tournament as a 15-seed.

 #8 - Larry Bird (1976 – 1979)

The bird sure could fly on the court! Larry Bird played for Indiana State between 1976 and 1979, averaging 30.3 points per game, with 4.6 assists, and 13.3 rebounds. Larry Bird played forward position, in 94 games during his 3 year college career in his first season, he played 28 games, in his second season he played 32 games, and in his third season he played 34 games. Dubbed The Hick from French Lick , he became the National Collegiate Player of the Year and led his team to the NCAA Championship Game where they ultimately lost to the Michigan State Spartans under Magic Johnson. Larry Bird could quite possibly be one of the best ever college players.

#7 - Wilt Chamberlain (1956 - 1958)

Wilt Chamberlain played center for Kansas. He played 48 games in his career, averaging 29.9 points per game and 18.3 total rebounds. He racked up some pretty impressive awards over the years including NCAA All-Tourney, NCAA All-Region, NCAA tourney MOP, and 2X Consensus AA.  They named him Wilt the Stilt, given that he was 7'1" tall. His team lost the title game though.

#6 – Magic Johnson (1978 – 1979)

There's always magic in the air whenever he's around, and there certainly was back in the late 70s when he played for Michigan State in 1978/79. As a guard, he played 62 games, averaged 17.1 points per game, with 7.9 assists, and 7.6 total rebounds. He played 62 games in his college career and ultimately became one of the biggest names in the NBA. He was the first overall player in the NBA draft in 1979 for the LA Lakers. He played for the Lakers for 13 seasons and racked up MVP awards later on in his professional career.

#5 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1966 – 1969)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played center for UCLA over 88 games. He averaged 26.4 points per game and 15.5 total rebounds. At a height of 7'2", he was a true titan among men. He is widely regarded as one of the finest ever college basketball players of all time. Of course, he was Lew Alcindor at the time, and when he began playing basketball in 1966, he hammered home 56 points – a record for a player's first game.

#4 – Bill Russell (1953 - 1955)

Bill Russell played 79 games for San Francisco between 1953 and 1955. He averaged 20.7 points per game, with 20.3 total rebounds. The man was a legend on the court with 2X NCAA Champion titles, 2 X NCAA All-Tourney, 2 X NCAA All-Region, NCAA Tourney MOP, 2X Consensus AA, and the 1955-1956 CBA Player of the Year.

#3 – Oscar Robertson (1957-1960)

Oscar Robertson played for the Cincinnati Royals between 1957 and 1960. He was a guard and known as The Big O. During his 88-game career, he averaged 33.8 points, with 15.2 total rebounds per game. He was a 2X NCAA All-Tourney star, 3X NCAA All-Region, and 3X Consensus AA players. He later went on to star with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA.

#2 - Hank Gathers (1986 – 1990)

Hank Gathers played 117 games in his college basketball career for USC and Loyola Marymount. He scored an average of 23.3 points, with 1.4 assists, and 9.6 total rebounds. He was an excellent player at college, and led the NCAA in rebounds and points scored in his junior season. Unfortunately for the big man, he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and he collapsed and died on court against Portland State. His is a truly sad story and he is well deserving of his title as one of the greatest ever CBB players.

#1 – Pete Maravich (1967 -1969)

Pete Maravich played in the position of guard for LSU. He competed in 83 games, and get this – Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game, 5.1 assists, and 6.4 total rebounds. A legend of the CBB arena. After college he was drafted for Atlanta in the 1970 NBA draft. He later became inducted as a Hall of Fame player in 1987, with an average of 24.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.2 total rebounds.

Which other top CBB players would you put into the top 10? Check out our college basketball odds right here at 888sport NJ – you bet it’s good!

* Photo provided by  Bill Feig and AP