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SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its fourth year recognizes the top centers in Division I men’s college basketball.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers narrowed the original watch list of 20 players down to 10 candidates and now just five finalists. This month, the five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans are encouraged to visit www.HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes March 9-23.
“With each season of hoops comes a new opportunity for players to prove their development as athletes and people,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “When evaluating our finalists for this year’s award, our committee will review the complete profiles of these student-athletes to determine the most deserving honoree. I hope the fans who vote will do the same.”
The five finalists for the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are Isaac Haas (Purdue), Jock Landale (St. Mary’s), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Thomas Welsh (UCLA) and Brandon McCoy (UNLV).
The winner of the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be honored at ESPN’s College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, April 6, 2018 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN2). 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.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
For more information on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, visit www.HoophallAwards.com.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach 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). Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion and a1995 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.
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