Best Colleges at Producing NBA Players
In this post, using my NBA draft history data I do a historical analysis of the best colleges at producing NBA players. The two criteria considered are total number of players drafted, and total Agg of all players drafted over a given five year period. The six colleges with the most players drafted since 1967 have their number of picks per year and total picks since 1967 graphed and analyzed. The top five year periods of drafts for a given college in terms of total Agg are recorded and commented on.
Most Draft Picks
Since 1967, the six colleges with the most NBA draft picks are UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina (UNC), Kansas, and Arizona. These colleges and the number of picks from each college since 1967 are recorded in the following list. Clicking on one of the colleges sends you to a bar graph of number of picks that college had each year since 1967 as well as some commentary on the best five year periods of picks for that college.
Colleges producing the most draft picks since 1967:
For each of these colleges, their total picks over time are graphed below:
As seen in the graph, UCLA dominated during the 70s, 80s, and 90s with North Carolina in second most of the time. Around 2010, Duke and Kentucky have sharp spikes in slope, catching up to UCLA and North Carolina respectively by 2019.
To get a better modern picture of these colleges’ draft history, I split the time period 1967 - 2019 at the year 1995 and considered drafts before 1995 and from 1995 onward. I chose the year 1995 because that is the year when Kevin Garnett was drafted, the first player drafted out of high school since Moses Malone in 1974. From 1995 to 2006, many players went strait from high school to the NBA (these players included Kobe Bryant and Lebron James) changing the culture of how draft prospects were considered, and how long college players stayed in school.
The colleges that contributed the most draft picks from 1967 through 1994 are UCLA, North Carolina (UNC), Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, NC State, and Kentucky. Their pick numbers and a graph of their picks over time follows:
Colleges producing the most draft picks from 1967 to 1994:
- UCLA: 36 (National Champs: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975)
- UNC: 29 (National Champs: 1982, 1993)
- Indiana: 26 (National Champs: 1976, 1981, 1987)
- Louisville: 26 (National Champs: 1980, 1986)
- Michigan: 24 (National Champs: 1989)
- NC State: 22 (National Champs: 1974, 1983)
- Kentucky: 22 (National Champs: 1978)
During this time period, we see clear dominance by UCLA. UCLA was a historically dominant team, winning 8 National Championships between 1967 and 1994. Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, and NC State appear in this list after not appearing in the 1967 - 2019 list.
The colleges with the most draft picks from 1995 through 2019 are Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, North Carolina (UNC), Kansas, and Arizona - the same colleges from the 1967 - 2019 list. The number picks for these colleges over this time period and a graph of their picks over time follows:
Colleges producing the most draft picks from 1995 to 2019:
- Kentucky: 51 (National Champs: 1996, 1998, 2012)
- Duke: 44 (National Champs: 2001, 2010, 2015)
- UCLA: 37 (National Champs: 1995)
- UNC: 35 (National Champs: 2005, 2009, 2017)
- Kansas: 34 (National Champs: 2008)
- Arizona: 32 (National Champs: 1997)
High school players were allowed in the draft from 1995 through 2005, with the 2006 draft being the first one where high school players were not allowed to be drafted. On the graph, there is a spike is slope for Kansas in 2008, Kentucky in 2010, and Duke in 2011, as these colleges most aggressively took advantage of high school players not being able to enter the NBA draft after 2005. The post 2005 era in college basketball has become known as the one and done era, as the top college prospects more often than not only stay in college for one year to become eligible to join the NBA.
Best Draft Periods
In addition to considering the colleges that produced the most NBA draft picks, I also considered the colleges that produced the best NBA draft picks. To do this, I considered any five year period for any college starting with the period 1967 - 1971, and ending with the period 2009 - 2013, as 2013 is the last year I have Agg scores for draft picks. For each five year period, I added up the Agg scores for all the players drafted from each college.
Below is a list of the top ten five year periods of draft picks for any college, along with the sum of the Agg score of the draft picks over that period. Clicking an item in the list sends you to a table of the players drafted during the period, their respective Agg scores, and some words about the success of the college during the period. The list was created so that multiple overlapping time periods from the same college do not appear. If one of the colleges in the list has an overlapping time period with an Agg score above 26.15, then that time period is noted in the section where the listed time period is discussed.
10 Best Draft Periods
- Kentucky 2009 - 2013, Score 49.50
- UCLA 2005 - 2009, Total Agg 32.16
- North Carolina 2009 - 2013, Total Agg 32.07
- UCLA 1969 - 1973, Total Agg 30.68
- Duke 1999 - 2003, Total Agg 30.48
- North Carolina 1994 - 1998, Total Agg 29.56
- Texas 2006 - 2010, Total Agg 27.39
- Kentucky 1996 - 2000, Total Agg 26.36
- North Carolina 1980 - 1984, Total Agg 26.33
- Arizona 1998 - 2002, Total Agg 26.15
UCLA
UCLA 2005 - 2009, Total Agg 32.16
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Russell Westbrook (2008, 4) | 6.88 |
| Kevin Love (2008, 5) | 5.85 |
| Darren Collison (2009, 21) | 4.14 |
| Jrue Holiday (2009, 17) | 4.06 |
| Arron Afflalo (2007, 27) | 2.85 |
| Luc Mbah a Moute (2008, 37) | 2.81 |
| Jordan Farmar (2006, 26) | 2.59 |
| Ryan Hollins (2006, 50) | 1.97 |
| Dijon Thompson (2005, 54) | 1.0 |
Coach: Ben Howland (2003 - 2013)
This was the prime of the Ben Howland era at UCLA. UCLA made it to the Final Four in 2006, 2007, and 2008, losing in the National Championship game in 2006. Unfortunately, UCLA never won a National Championship with Ben Howland as coach.
Overlapping notable periods:
- 2006 - 2010, total Agg 31.16
- 2007 - 2011, total Agg 28.60
- 2004 - 2008, total Agg 27.99
- 2008 - 2012, total Agg 25.75
UCLA 1969 - 1973, Total Agg 30.68
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969, 1) | 9.58 |
| Swen Nater (1973, 16) | 4.08 |
| Lucius Allen (1969, 3) | 3.44 |
| Sidney Wicks (1971, 2) | 3.35 |
| Henry Bibby (1972, 58) | 3.04 |
| Curtis Rowe (1971, 11) | 3.03 |
| Steve Patterson (1971, 18) | 2.16 |
| John Vallely (1970, 14) | 1.0 |
| Ken Heitz (1969, 59) | 1.0 |
Coach: John Wooden (1948 - 1975)
John Wooden is widely regarded as the best men’s college basketball coach in history, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is widely regarded as the best men’s college basketball player in history. This time period was the the prime of the John Wooden era as UCLA won the National Championship every year from 1969 to 1973.
Overlapping notable periods:
- 1971 - 1975, total Agg 28.94
- Bill Walton (not in the above list) was drafted first in 1974, and has an Agg of 5.03.
- 1970 - 1974, total Agg 26.20
Kentucky
Kentucky 2009 - 2013, Total Agg 49.50
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Anthony Davis (2012, 1) | 7.83 |
| DeMarcus Cousins (2010, 5) | 4.55 |
| John Wall (2010, 1) | 4.53 |
| Eric Bledsoe (2010, 18) | 4.43 |
| Nerlens Noel (2013, 6) | 3.83 |
| Patrick Patterson (2010, 14) | 3.53 |
| Terrence Jones (2012, 18) | 3.36 |
| Jodie Meeks (2009, 41) | 3.08 |
| Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012, 2) | 2.94 |
| Brandon Knight (2011, 8) | 2.26 |
| Darius Miller (2012, 46) | 2.0 |
| DeAndre Liggins (2011, 53) | 1.68 |
| Archie Goodwin (2013, 29) | 1.46 |
| Daniel Orton (2010, 29) | 1.0 |
| Marquis Teague (2012, 29) | 1.0 |
| Doron Lamb (2012, 42) | 1.0 |
| Josh Harrellson (2011, 45) | 1.0 |
Coach: John Calipari (2009 - present)
John Calipari’s name at Kentucky is ubiquitous with the one and done era. During recruiting, Calipari promises recruits that he is the best at getting them ready for and to the NBA; he has a track record of success doing exactly that. Calipari’s Kentucky teams would have even higher Agg scores if the Agg statistic was calculated for drafts after 2013. During this time period Kentucky’s success in the NCAA tournament was a National Championship in 2012 and making it to the Final Four in 2011.
Overlapping notable periods:
- 2008 - 2012, total Agg 45.21
- 2007 - 2011, total Agg 27.07
- 2006 - 2010, total Agg 26.50
Kentucky 1996 - 2000, Total Agg 26.36
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Derek Anderson (1997, 13) | 4.06 |
| Antoine Walker (1996, 6) | 3.72 |
| Nazr Mohammed (1998, 29) | 3.17 |
| Scott Padgett (1999, 28) | 3.17 |
| Tony Delk (1996, 16) | 3.08 |
| Jamaal Magloire (2000, 19) | 2.85 |
| Walter McCarty (1996, 19) | 2.64 |
| Ron Mercer (1997, 6) | 2.08 |
| Mark Pope (1996, 52) | 1.58 |
Coaches: Rick Pitino (1989 - 1997) and Tubby Smith (1998 - 2007)
This was a great era for Kentucky, when they went to three strait National Championship games in 1996, 1997, and 1998. They won in 1996 with Rick Patino as coach and in 1998, Tubby Smith’s first season as head coach.
Duke
Duke 1999 - 2003, Total Agg 30.48
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Elton Brand (1999, 1) | 5.93 |
| Carlos Boozer (2002, 35) | 4.62 |
| Shane Battier (2001, 6) | 4.6 |
| Corey Maggette (1999, 13) | 4.35 |
| Mike Dunleavy (2002, 3) | 3.87 |
| Trajan Langdon (1999, 11) | 2.44 |
| Dahntay Jones (2003, 20) | 1.82 |
| Jay Williams (2002, 2) | 1.0 |
| Chris Carrawell (2000, 41) | 1.0 |
| William Avery (1999, 14) | 0.83 |
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (1980 - present)
Duke won the National Championship in 2001, and were runner-up in 1999. This was one of many great strectes of success for Mike Krzyzewski and Duke.
Overlapping notable peridos:
- 1998 - 2002, total Agg 29.94
- 2002 - 2006, total Agg 26.12
North Carolina (UNC)
North Carolina 2009 - 2013, Total Agg 32.07
| Players (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Danny Green (2009, 46) | 4.36 |
| Ty Lawson (2009, 18) | 4.15 |
| Ed Davis (2010, 13) | 4.05 |
| Harrison Barnes (2012, 7) | 3.6 |
| John Henson (2012, 14) | 3.41 |
| Tyler Zeller (2012, 17) | 2.95 |
| Tyler Hansbrough (2009, 13) | 2.95 |
| Reggie Bullock (2013, 25) | 2.72 |
| Wayne Ellington (2009, 28) | 2.59 |
| Kendall Marshall (2012, 13) | 1.3 |
Coach: Roy Williams (2003 - present)
Roy Williams wouldn’t win his first National Championship until 2016. These teams are examples of great teams put together by Williams that could not quite win it all. North Carolina made it to the Final Four in 2009 and 2008 (with Danny Green, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, and Wayne Ellington from this list on the team), but somehow did not make it to a National Championship game during this time period.
Overlapping notable periods:
- 2005 - 2009, total Agg 30.56
- 2008 - 2012, total Agg 29.35
North Carolina 1994 - 1998, Total Agg 29.56
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Vince Carter (1998, 5) | 6.7 |
| Rasheed Wallace (1995, 4) | 5.77 |
| Antawn Jamison (1998, 4) | 4.93 |
| Jerry Stackhouse (1995, 3) | 3.97 |
| Shammond Williams (1998, 34) | 2.72 |
| Jeff McInnis (1996, 37) | 2.72 |
| Eric Montross (1994, 9) | 1.75 |
| Serge Zwikker (1997, 29) | 1.0 |
Coaches Dean Smith (1961 - 1997) and Bill Guthridge (1998 - 2000)
Coming off a National Championship in 1993 (with Eric Montross as the only player on this list on that team), North Carolina made it to the Final Four in 1995, 1997, and 1998, though they never made it to the National Championship game. This was the tail end of Dean Smith’s illustrious career at North Carolina, after which his longtime assistant Bill Guthridge became the head coach for 3 successful seasons (North Carolina also made it to the Final Four in 2000).
Overlapping notable periods:
- 1995 - 1999, score 27.80
North Carolina 1980 - 1984, Total Agg 26.33
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Michael Jordan (1984, 3) | 9.56 |
| Sam Perkins (1984, 4) | 5.05 |
| James Worthy (1982, 1) | 4.75 |
| Mike O’Koren (1980, 6) | 2.53 |
| Al Wood (1981, 4) | 2.44 |
| John Virgil (1980, 49) | 1.0 |
| Jimmy Black (1982, 59) | 1.0 |
Coach Dean Smith (1961 - 1997)
During this period, North Carolina had the most famous (and arguably best) basketball player ever in Michael Jordan. This was during the middle of Dean Smith’s great tenure as head coach of North Carolina. This team made it to the National Championship in 1981 and 1982, winning it in 1982 on a shot by Michael Jordan.
Kansas
Kansas did not crack the top 10 for best draft picks drafted over a 5 year period, but the college has an illustrious men’s basketball history. They have had three successive great coaches in Larry Brown (1983 - 1988), Roy Williams (1989 - 2003), and Bill Self (2004 - present), winning the National Championship under Brown in 1988 and Self in 2008.
Arizona
Arizona 1998 - 2002, Total Agg 26.15
| Player (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Jason Terry (1999, 10) | 5.65 |
| Mike Bibby (1998, 2) | 4.69 |
| Richard Jefferson (2001, 13) | 4.37 |
| Gilbert Arenas (2001, 31) | 4.17 |
| Michael Dickerson (1998, 14) | 2.43 |
| Loren Woods (2001, 46) | 1.83 |
| Michael Wright (2001, 39) | 1.0 |
| A.J. Bramlett (1999, 39) | 1.0 |
| Miles Simon (1998, 42) | 1.0 |
Coach: Lute Olsen (1983 - 2007)
This was the height of Lute Olsen’s success at Arizona. Arizona won the National Championship in 1997 with Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson, A.J. Bramlett, and Miles Simon from this list, and went to the National Championship in 2001.
Overlapping notable perids:
- 1997 - 2001, total Agg 26.15
Texas 2006 - 2010, Total Agg 27.39
| Players (year, pick) | Agg |
|---|---|
| Kevin Durant (2007, 2) | 7.96 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge (2006, 2) | 5.7 |
| D.J. Augustin (2008, 9) | 3.68 |
| P.J. Tucker (2006, 35) | 3.16 |
| Daniel Gibson (2006, 42) | 2.58 |
| Avery Bradley (2010, 19) | 2.3 |
| Damion James (2010, 24) | 1.0 |
| Dexter Pittman (2010, 32) | 1.0 |
Coach: Rick Barnes (1998 - 2015)
This era at Texas produced a lot of good (and one great) NBA players, though did not produce a ton of success in the NCAA Tournament. While I haven’t listed any team’s Elite Eight appearances (I have stuck to Final Four and National Championship appearances), these Texas teams never made it to the Final Four. The best they did was the Elite Eight in 2006 and 2008.