NBA players who won March Madness are Bill Russell, Anthony Davis, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Henry Bibby and more. Many notables have not achieved this feat.
Carmelo Anthony and Stephen Curry are among the notables who have not won March Madness although they are NBA champions.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Henry Bibbi have won 3 National titles which is the highest for a player and both were representing UCLA.
Most NCAA championships basketball are won by the UCLA Bruins who have 11 titles to their name. Kentucky Wildcats have won it 8 times.
The NBA has seen only a few players that have won the not so easy to win March Madness such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and K. C. Jones among a few others.
Top players in march madness 2023 were:
- Zach Edey - Purdue
- Adama Sanogo - UConn
- Brandon Miller - Alabama
- Jalen Wilson - Kansas
- Jalen Pickett - Penn State
Who Won the NCAA Championship (NBA Players)
| Quinn Cook | 2015 |
| Anthony Davis | 2012 |
| Mario Chalmers | 2008 |
| Corey Brewer | 2006, 2007 |
| Bill Russell | 1955, 1956 |
| Marreese Speights | 2007 |
| Henry Bibby | 1970, 1971, 1972 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1967, 1968, 1969 |
| Danny Green | 2009 |
| Jamaal Wilkes | 1972, 1973 |
Quinn Cook - 30 Years Old
Quinn Cook was last seen playing for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) in the 2022-23 season. He is currently a free agent following his release on January 11, 2023.
Cook attended the DeMatha Catholic High School and attended Duke University for college. He attended college from 2011-2015 and won the NCAA Championship in 2015 and averaged 15.5 points per game.
Cook went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft and took part in the Orlando Summer League as an Oklahoma City Thunder player and also played for the Cavaliers in the Las Vegas Summer League.
The Cavaliers signed him and in a span of a month, he was waived by the team and went on to join the Canton Charge of the NBA G League.
He has been part of many franchises and he joined the Golden States Warriors in 2017 and was part of the championship-winning team in 2018. He was also part of the LA Lakers from 2019-2021 where he won his second NBA championship in 2020.
Anthony Davis - 30 Years Old
Current NBA players who won NCAA championship is Anthony Davis in 2012 while playing for the Kentucky Wildcats representing the University of Kentucky.
The 1st overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, selected by the New Orleans Hornets, Davis was tipped to become a top player. He has lived up to the expectations and is one of the best players in the NBA
The Center/PF played for the Hornets (now Pelicans) from 2012-2019 and has been part of the Los Angeles Lakers since 2019. The eight-time NBA All-Star won his maiden NBA championship in 2020.
Davis is only 30 at the moment and has a lot to contribute toward the game. He will surely win more championships in the future along with personal achievements.
Mario Chalmers - 37 Years Old
Chambers was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and attended Bartlett High School before moving on to the University of Kansas for college from 2005-2008.
He is famous for his three-point shot with only 2.1 left on the clock that took the game to overtime. That helped Kansas defeat the Memphis Tigers to win the March Madness in 2008 and was also named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Mario Chalmers was a 2nd round pick at the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and was the 34th overall pick. He was later traded to the Miami Heat.
During his time as a Cavalier, he played all the regular season games as a rookie and went on to win two consecutive NBA championships in 2012 and 2013 with them.
In January 2023, Chalmers joined hands with Zamboanga Valientes in the ASEAN Basketball League and is close to the end of his career.
Corey Brewer - 37 Years Old
Corey Wayne Brewer has been a player development coach for the New York Pelicans since November 2020, right after announcing his retirement. The former player played in the NBA from 2007-2020.
Brewer was born in Portland and attended Portland High School. He joined the University of Florida after accepting an athletic scholarship from 2004-2007. He won two consecutive NCAA championships with the Gators in 2006 and 2007.
Towering at 2.06 m or 6 feet 9 inches tall, he was the 7th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, selected by the Timberwolves. He was part of the team from 2007-2011. He signed with the Mavericks in 2011 and went on to win the NBA championship the same year.
Bill Russell - 88 Years Old
Bill Russell is one of the most decorated NBA champions of all time. He was the 2nd overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft and was selected by the St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks)
Russell is considered one of the greats of the game having achieved so much in his illustrious career. He started out by winning the NCAA championship in 1955 and 1956 as a scholarship student for the University of San Franciso.
Rusell also captained the U. S. men's Olympic basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics and secured a gold medal.
He went on to win his first NBA championship in 1957 with the Celtics. He won his next titles consecutively from 1959-1966, and 1968-1969. He won an outstanding 11 championships. He also has 5 NBA MVP awards to his name.
Marreese Speights - 35 Years Old
Marreese Akeem Speights was born in St. Petersburgh, Florida, and initially attended Admiral Farragut Academy before transferring to Hargrave Military Academy and later to Gibbs High School.
He was rated as a four-star recruit when it was time for him to start his collegiate career. He enrolled at the University of Florida from 2006-2008. He won the national championship with the Gators in 2007 alongside teammate Corey Brewer.
He too did not finish college and declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA Draft. He was selected as the 16th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was acquired by the Grizzlies in 2012 for a year and later transferred to the Cavaliers in 2013.
The same year, he signed with the Golden State Warriors where he won his maiden and only NBA championship in 2015 and was the team's top scoring option coming off the bench, gaining the nickname "Mo Buckets"
He last played professional basketball in 2021 for the Guangzhou Long-Lions and is currently serving as an Assistant coach for Georgi Southern.
Henry Bibby - 73 Years Old
Charles Henry Bibby is a former basketball player who played as a Point Guard from 1972-1982. He is the father of Mike Bibby who also played in the NBA.
Bibby attended B.F. Person-Albion for his high school studies and was enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, and played collegiate basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 1969-1972.
The gifted PG was always a high performer and won three consecutive NCAA championships in 1970, 1971, and 1972. He was a starter in all of the championship-winning seasons.
He entered the 1972 NBA Draft and was selected in the 4th round as the 58th overall pick by the New York Knicks. In 1973, he won his maiden NBA title and reached two more NBA Finals (1977, 1980) as a 76ers' player and lost both of them.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 76 Years Old
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the all-time greats of basketball who has had an outstanding career and has accomplished it all as a player. You name a title and he has already won it.
He was born in Harlem, New York, attended Power Memorial Academy, and was later enrolled at UCLA for his collegiate career from 1966-1969.
He was a top player for the UCLA Bruins and won three consecutive National championships in 1967, 1968, and 1969, and won the NCAA Most Outstanding Player awards in all championship-winning years.
He was the 1st overall pick of the 1969 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks where he stayed till 1975. He won his maiden NBA championship with the Bucks in 1971, along with the NBA Finals MVP and the NBA MVP in 1971, 1972, and 1974.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975 and was a dominating force in the NBA. He won five NBA titles with the Lakers in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988
He also won three more NBA MVP awards in 1976, 1977, and 1980. In 1985, he was once again named the NBA Finals MVP. He scored a monumental 38,387 points in his career and is only behind LeBron James who broke recently surpassed him.
After 20 seasons and winning everything that a player dreams of, he retired as one of the GOATs of the game and will have a legacy for years to come.
Danny Green - 36 Years Old
Danny Green last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and is currently listed as a free agent. He was born in North Babylon, New York, and stands at 1.98 m.
He played collegiate basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina from 2005-2009. Green won the NCAA championship as a senior in 2009.
He was eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft and was picked by the Cavaliers as the 46th overall pick. Green has been part of many teams in his career including teams from the NBA G League.
The three-time NBA champion won his first title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and won his second with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. He won his third championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Jamaal Wilkes - 70 Years Old
Jamaal Abdul-Lateef or commonly known as Jamaal Wilkes is also a well-accomplished former basketball player to have had achieved a lot as a professional.
Born in Berkley, California, he attended Ventura High School and later attended Santa Barbara Senior High School. He too was enrolled at UCLA from 1971-1974.
The Small Forward (SF) won two National titles with the UCLA Bruins in 1972 and 1973. He was then drafted into the NBA by the Golden States Warriors as the 11th overall pick at the 1974 NBA Draft.
He won his first NBA championship with the Warriors in 1975 and was named the Rookie of the Year. He was then part of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1977-1985 where he won three championships with them in 1980, 1982, and 1985.
