Winning a national championship is the pinnacle of a college athlete’s career. Only a small percentage of NCAA athletes – less than 1% – ever get to lift the trophy at the end of a long season.Â
It’s even rarer, then, for NCAA champions to advance to the NBA and win a championship at the highest level of competition.Â
While Jalen Brunson and his longtime teammates recently joined the list of dual champions, the full list of players who have won championships at both the college and pro levels in America is only a few dozen names long.Â
Basketball Players Who Won Championships in Both College and the NBA
| Player | NCAA Championship Team | NCAA Championship Year(s) | NBA Championship Team(s) | NBA Championship Year(s) |
| Herm Schaefer | Indiana | 1940 | Minneapolis Lakers | 1949, 1950 |
| Howie Dallmar | Stanford | 1942 | Philadelphia Warriors | 1947 |
| Jim Pollard | Stanford | 1942 | Minneapolis Lakers | 1949, '50, '52, '53, '54 |
| Arnie Ferrin | Utah | 1944 | Minneapolis Lakers | 1949, 1950 |
| Bob Cousy | Holy Cross | 1947 | Boston Celtics | 1957, '59, '60, '61, '62, '63 |
| Frank Ramsey | Kentucky | 1951 | Boston Celtics | 1957, 1959 |
| Lou Tsioropoulos | Kentucky | 1951 | Boston Celtics | 1957, 1959 |
| Cliff Hagan | Kentucky | 1951 | St. Louis Hawks | 1958 |
| Clyde Lovellette | Kansas | 1952 | Lakers; Celtics | 1954; 1963, 1964 |
| Dick Farley | Indiana | 1953 | Syracuse Nationals | 1955 |
| Tom Gola | La Salle | 1954 | Philadelphia Warriors | 1956 |
| Bill Russell | San Francisco | 1955, 1956 | Boston Celtics | 1957, 1959-66, 1968-69 |
| KC Jones | San Francisco | 1955, 1956 | Boston Celtics | 1959-66 |
| John Havlicek | Ohio State | 1960 | Boston Celtics | 1963-66, 1968-69, '74, '76 |
| Larry Siegfried | Ohio State | 1960 | Boston Celtics | 1964-66, 1968-69 |
| Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | 1960 | New York Knicks | 1973 |
| Tom Thacker | Cincinnati | 1961, 1962 | Boston Celtics | 1968 |
| Ron Bonham | Cincinnati | 1962 | Boston Celtics | 1965, 1966 |
| Keith Erickson | UCLA | 1964, 1965 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1972 |
| Gail Goodrich | UCLA | 1964, 1965 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1972 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | UCLA | 1967, 1968, 1969 | Bucks, Lakers | 1971; 1980, '82, '85, '87, '88 |
| Lucius Allen | UCLA | 1967, 1968 | Bucks, Lakers | 1971 |
| Henry Bibby | UCLA | 1970, 1971, 1972 | New York Knicks | 1973 |
| Jamaal Wilkes | UCLA | 1972, 1973 | Warriors; Lakers | 1975; 1980, '82, '85 |
| Bill Walton | UCLA | 1972, 1973 | Trail Blazers; Celtics | 1977; 1986 |
| Quinn Buckner | Indiana | 1976 | Boston Celtics | 1984 |
| Butch Lee | Marquette | 1977 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1980 |
| Rick Robey | Kentucky | 1978 | Boston Celtics | 1981 |
| Rodney McCray | Louisville | 1980 | Chicago Bulls | 1993 |
| Isiah Thomas | Indiana | 1981 | Detroit Pistons | 1989, 1990 |
| James Worthy | North Carolina | 1982 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1985, 1987, 1988 |
| Michael Jordan | North Carolina | 1982 | Chicago Bulls | 1991-93, 1996-98 |
| Billy Thompson | Louisville | 1986 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1987, 1988 |
| Milt Wagner | Louisville | 1986 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1988 |
| Glen Rice | Michigan | 1989 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2000 |
| Corliss Williamson | Arkansas | 1994 | Detroit Pistons | 2004 |
| Derek Anderson | Kentucky | 1996 | Miami Heat | 2006 |
| Antoine Walker | Kentucky | 1996 | Miami Heat | 2006 |
| Nazr Mohammad | Kentucky | 1996, 1998 | San Antonio Spurs | 2005 |
| Jason Terry | Arizona | 1997 | Dallas Mavericks | 2011 |
| Richard Hamilton | UConn | 1999 | Detroit Pistons | 2004 |
| Shane Battier | Duke | 2001 | Miami Heat | 2012, 2013 |
| Corey Brewer | Florida | 2006, 2007 | Dallas Mavericks | 2011 |
| Al Horford | Florida | 2006, 2007 | Boston Celtics | 2024 |
| Marreese Speights | Florida | 2007 | Golden State Warriors | 2015 |
| Mario Chalmers | Kansas | 2008 | Miami Heat | 2012, 2013 |
| Brandon Rush | Kansas | 2008 | Golden State Warriors | 2015 |
| Sasha Kaun | Kansas | 2008 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2016 |
| Danny Green | North Carolina | 2009 | Spurs; Raptors; Lakers | 2014; 2019; 2020 |
| Anthony Davis | Kentucky | 2012 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2020 |
| Quinn Cook | Duke | 2015 | Warriors; Lakers | 2018; 2020 |
| Donte DiVincenzo | Villanova | 2016, 2018 | Milwaukee Bucks | 2021 |
| Jalen Brunson | Villanova | 2016, 2018 | New York Knicks | 2026 |
| Josh Hart | Villanova | 2016 | New York Knicks | 2026 |
| Mikal Bridges | Villanova | 2016, 2018 | New York Knicks | 2026 |
| Justin Jackson | North Carolina | 2017 | Milwaukee Bucks | 2021 |
| Collin Gillespie | Villanova | 2018 | Denver Nuggets | 2023 |
| Mamadi Diakite | Virginia | 2019 | Milwaukee Bucks | 2021 |
| Christian Braun | Kansas | 2022 | Denver Nuggets | 2023 |
What Is the Triple Crown?
The Triple Crown is a truly rare basketball feat, conferred only to players who win a national championship, NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.
There are only eight players who have ever earned the Triple Crown. Only one of them is from this century.
Triple Crown Basketball Players
- Clyde Lovellette
- Bill Russell
- K.C. Jones
- Jerry Lucas
- Quinn Buckner
- Magic Johnson
- Michael Jordan
- Anthony Davis
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