SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Gonzaga's
Chet Holmgren was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List Friday.
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just 5. In March the five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, and the Karl Malone Power Forward Award.
After being a part of a fourth state championship team, Holmgren was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated All-American Player of the Year, MaxPreps National Player of the Year, and a McDonald's All-American. The 7-footer averaged 21 points and 12.3 rebounds per game during his senior season while leading the Redhawks to the Class 3A state championship. He added 4.7 blocks and 4.5 assists while shooting 80 percent from the field in 2020-21. He finished his prep career with 1,567 points, 964 rebounds and 456 blocked shots while helping Minnehaha Academy compile a 128-15 record during his time with the program.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Luka Garza, Iowa (2021 and 2020), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1966-1969. He is a three-time NCAA Champion who earned numerous accolades including three-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player, three-time National College Player of the Year and three-time Consensus First-Team All-American (1967-1969). As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star and the league's all-time leading scorer.
Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on today.
2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates*
| Walker Kessler |
Auburn |
| Nick Muszyinski |
Belmont |
| Mark Williams |
Duke |
| Colin Castleton |
Florida |
| Chet Holmgren |
Gonzaga |
| Kofi Cockburn |
Illinois |
| David McCormack |
Kansas |
| Oscar Tshiebwe |
Kentucky |
| Ahsan Asadullah |
Lipscomb |
| Qudus Wahab |
Maryland |
| Jalen Duren |
Memphis |
| Hunter Dickinson |
Michigan |
| Armando Bacot |
North Carolina |
| Moussa Cisse |
Oklahoma State |
| Nate Watson |
Providence |
| Zach Edey |
Purdue |
| Osun Osunniyi |
St. Bonaventure |
| Myles Johnson |
UCLA |
| Fardaws Aimaq |
Utah Valley |
| Liam Robbins |
Vanderbilt |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2021-22 season*
