- Top Male Collegiate Centers Named as Contenders for “Naismith Starting Five” -
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Top 10 candidates for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top center in Division I men’s college basketball.
2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates*
|
Oumar Ballo |
Arizona |
Zach Edey |
Purdue |
|
Ryan Kalkbrenner |
Creighton |
Clifford Omoruyi |
Rutgers |
|
Oscar Tshiebwe |
Kentucky |
Joel Soriano |
St. John's |
|
Hunter Dickinson |
Michigan |
Adama Sanogo |
UConn |
|
Armando Bacot |
North Carolina |
Jack Nunge |
Xavier |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-2023 season.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting today on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2023 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 Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward) and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award are Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), Luka Garza, Iowa (2020, ‘21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
For more information on the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and #KareemAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.