18 Colleges with the Most NBA Players – 2024
April 23, 2024
Alongside college football and pro sports leagues like the MLB, NBA, and NFL, college basketball is one of the country鈥檚 premier sports. Its popularity and influence is evidenced by the amount of money in the sport鈥攅very year, the NCAA tournament brings in more than , and the highest-paid college basketball coaches have contracts worth millions of dollars annually. And even though college athletes aren鈥檛 paid for their on-the-field labor, top colleges have been a consistent source of talent for pro leagues across all sports. Every year, elite college athletes declare for the draft. When it comes to the NBA, there are some schools with long and storied histories of players turning pro. With this year鈥檚 March Madness in the books, let鈥檚 take a look at some of the colleges with the most NBA players in history.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players
1) University of Kentucky
- 132 NBA players
- 10 WNBA players
听By the numbers, the University of Kentucky is the top NBA players college of all time, having produced 132 NBA players and 10 WNBA players. Of the top 20 Wildcats-turned-pro-ballers, 12 are still suiting up for NBA squads today. Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, De鈥橝aron Fox, Julius Randle, John Wall, Tyler Herro, and Jamal Murray all played at Kentucky. And on the women鈥檚 side, a Kentucky player鈥擱hyne Howard鈥攚ent first overall in the WNBA draft as recently as 2022.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players (Continued)
2) UCLA
- 104 NBA players
- 15 WNBA players
With 11 national titles, no men鈥檚 college basketball program is more decorated than the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins also produced one of the best basketball players to ever step foot on a court in the form of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But Kareem isn鈥檛 the only NBA hall-of-famer to come out of UCLA: Gail Goodrich, Reggie Miller, Jamaal Wilkes, Bill Walton, and Don Barksdale also suited up for the Bruins before entering the NBA.
3) University of North Carolina
- 102 NBA players
- 20 WNBA players
Michael Jordan played at UNC. Naming anyone else in the same sentence just wouldn鈥檛 feel right. But the fact is, 101 other NBA players came out of UNC, as did 20 WNBA players. The women鈥檚 squad at UNC has one the national championship once, in 1994, and the men鈥檚 squad has won it six times, the third-most all-time. Lastly, Bob McAdoo, Billy Cunningham, James Worthy, Walter Davis, Vince Carter, Ty Lawson, Kenny Smith, and Bobby Jones are just a sample of some of the NBA talent that鈥檚 come out of UNC.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players (Continued)
3) Duke University
- 100 NBA players
- 24 WNBA players
The Duke Blue Devils men鈥檚 squad has won the NCAA tournament five times, and while Kansas and UNC might have produced more NBA hall-of-fame level talent, there are some serious stars amongst Duke鈥檚 graduates. Zion Williamson, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Grant Hill, Jeff Mullins, JJ Redick, Jabari Parker, and Marvin Bagley III, amongst many others, are Duke alums.
5) University of Kansas听
- 85 NBA players
- 9 WNBA players
听James Naismith, the person who invented the sport of basketball, was also the Kansas Jayhawks鈥� first coach. With that kind of legacy, it鈥檚 not surprising that Kansas is one of the鈥攊f not the鈥攎ost prestigious college basketball program in the United States. It鈥檚 also not surprising that it鈥檚 one of the best NBA players’ colleges. Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Pierce, and Joel Embiid鈥攁n all-time great and two generational icons鈥攅ntered the NBA after college careers at Kansas. That track record alone would make Kansas one of the top NBA players’ colleges ever. But over the years they鈥檝e had 85 men and 9 women go on to careers in professional basketball.
6) Indiana University
- 70 NBA players
- 3 WNBA players
As one of the top NBA players colleges, Indiana has been a dominant force in college basketball for decades. The men鈥檚 squad has won the NCAA tournament outright a total of five times鈥攊n 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, and 1987. And while the women鈥檚 team hasn鈥檛 experienced the same level of sustained success, they have been steadily improving. In 2021, they achieved their best result ever in the NCAA tournament, reaching their first Elite Eight before being bounced by Arizona. Isiah Thomas, Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon, OG Anunoby, and many more have been drafted into the NBA from Indiana.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players (Continued)
7) University of Michigan
- 67 NBA players
- 7 WNBA players
Michigan鈥檚 status as one of the top NBA players colleges is indisputable. NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber is the marquee name to come out of Michigan, but the program has also produced plenty of solid NBA talent, with players like Jordan Poole, Tim Hardaway Jr., Duncan Robinson, Trey Burke, Jalen Rose, and Jamal Crawford all being drafted into the NBA after college careers as Wolverines.
8) University of Arizona
- 66 NBA players
- 7 WNBA players听
Arizona, with 66 men and 7 women drafted into professional basketball, is without a doubt one of the best NBA players colleges in the country. Arizona also happens to be one of my favorite college basketball squads to watch鈥攎aybe because when I was growing up, the Wildcats were trotting out a squad which included sharpshooter Salim Stoudamire and future NBA champs Andre Iguodala and Channing Frye. But then again, Arizona seems to always attract elite NBA talent; Gilbert Arenas, Lauri Markkanen, Mike Bibby, Richard Jefferson, Jason Terry, and Aaron Gordon (just to name a few) are all ex-Wildcats.
Seven women鈥檚 Wildcats have gone on to play in the WNBA. Aari McDonald, who went third overall in the first round of the 2021 WNBA draft, is probably the most high-profile women鈥檚 Wildcat to play professionally; she currently plays for the Los Angeles Sparks.
9) Louisville
- 64 NBA players
- 12 WNBA players
Donovan Mitchell, who鈥檚 currently tearing it up for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs, was drafted from Louisville as the 13th overall pick in 2017. 63 others from Louisville have gone on to play in the NBA; another 12 have gone on to play in the WNBA.
Louisville has a rich basketball history. The Louisville Cardinals men鈥檚 team has won the national title twice鈥攊n 1980 and 1986 (they also won the NCAA tournament in 2013 under Rick Pitino, but had the title vacated after a ). While the women鈥檚 team hasn鈥檛 won a national championship, they were NCAA tournament runners-up in 2009 and 2013.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players (Continued)
10) Notre Dame
- 63 NBA players
- 20 WNBA players
Notre Dame has become a major source of WNBA talent in recent years. Of the 20 Notre Dame products to go on to play in the WNBA, 10 are active players. Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd entered the WNBA as overall number one picks, in 2019 and 2015, respectively.
11) St. John鈥檚 University
- 57 NBA players
- 1 WNBA player
Although the Red Storm have never taken home a national title, St. John鈥檚 is still one of the top NBA players colleges. A total of 57 St. John鈥檚 products have gone on to play in the NBA, among them Chris Mullin, Kevin Loughery, Max Zaslofsky, Walter Berry, and Metta World Peace. So far, Nadirah McKenith, drafted in 2013, is the only St. John鈥檚 women鈥檚 player to have played in the WNBA.
12) Syracuse University听
- 56 NBA players
- 5 WNBA players
Syracuse is one of the best basketball programs in the country. The Orange won the national title in 2003 with a freshman Carmelo Anthony leading the offense and coach Jim Boeheim coordinating on the sidelines. Melo is far and away the most prominent Syracuse product to make it in the NBA, but with 56 men and 5 women playing in the NBA or WNBA, Syracuse University is a top NBA players college.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players (Continued)
13) Villanova University
- 56 NBA players
- 1 WNBA player
Although only one Villanova alum has gone on to play in the WNBA, that player鈥擬addy Siegrist鈥攊s one of the best offensive players in college basketball history. With her 2896 points in her time at Villanova, she鈥檚 the 16th most prolific women鈥檚 college basketball scorer of all time. She was selected third overall in the 2023 NBA draft and currently plays for the Dallas Wings. Headlining the men鈥檚 side are burgeoning Knicks star Jalen Brunson and established vet Kyle Lowry.
14) Ohio State University
- 54 NBA players
- 18 WNBA players
Ohio State is a football school鈥擮hio Stadium is one of the biggest college football stadiums in the country, and the Buckeyes, with 6 national titles, are one of the most storied programs in college football history. But that doesn鈥檛 mean that Ohio State isn鈥檛 one of the best NBA players colleges. A total of 54 Buckeyes on the men鈥檚 side and 18 on the women鈥檚 side have gone on to careers in professional basketball. D鈥橝ngelo Russell, Mike Conley, Kelsey Mitchell, and Jantel Lavender are some of the Ohio State alums still playing in professional ball today.
15) Michigan State University
- 53 NBA players
- 6 WNBA players
听It makes sense that the top NBA players’ colleges are schools with storied basketball traditions. Michigan State is one such school. The Big Ten powerhouse boasts one of the highest winning percentages in all of college basketball; they鈥檝e made the Final Four 10 times (that鈥檚 sixth most all time), and they won it all in 1979 and 2000. Plus, the Spartans men鈥檚 team has one of the hallmarks of a strong basketball program: a long-tenured coach. Tom Izzo has been head coach in East Lansing for 29 years, and he鈥檚 one of the highest-paid college basketball coaches in history. And just to make sure I impart at least one piece of basketball trivia鈥擥olden State Warriors fixture Draymond Green, who鈥檚 a Michigan native鈥攊s a Michigan State product.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players (Continued)
16) University of Illinois
- 49 NBA players
- 1 WNBA player
The University of Illinois men鈥檚 basketball squad made a deep run in the 2024 NCAA tournament, advancing all the way to the Elite Eight before being eliminated by UConn, who鈥檇 go on to win it all. It was the Fighting Illini鈥檚 best result since winning the championship in 2005. The University of Illinois products who are current NBA players include Ayo Dosonmu of the Chicago Bulls, Malcolm Hill of the New Orleans Pelicans, Meyers Leonard of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors.
17) University of Connecticut
- 43 NBA players
- 44 WNBA players
UConn is an absolute basketball powerhouse on both the men and women鈥檚 sides. The men鈥檚 side easily ranks among the most decorated programs in the sport鈥攖heir first NCAA national championship came in 1999 and they鈥檝e been on a tear since then, winning six total and back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. So it鈥檚 unsurprising that the UConn men鈥檚 program has produced a plethora of NBA talent. 43 total men鈥檚 Huskies played in the NBA; just last year three UConn men鈥檚 players were drafted into the NBA, and Andre Drummond, who played for UConn from 2011-2012, is still suiting up for the Chicago Bulls. Other big names in the NBA who were once Huskies include Rudy Gay, Kemba Walker, Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton, and Ray Allen.
But the UConn Huskies women鈥檚 basketball team is the premier basketball program in the country鈥攎en鈥檚 or women鈥檚鈥攈aving won a record 11 national championships and setting the record for the longest winning streak in college basketball history. It鈥檚 no wonder that UConn is one of the best NBA players colleges, period. Maya Moore, who鈥檚 one of the sport鈥檚 all time scorers, was a UConn Husky, along with other big names like Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and Tina Charles.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players (Continued)
18) University of Cincinnati
- 40 NBA players
- 2 WNBA players
Although Cincinnati hasn鈥檛 made it beyond the NCAA tournament鈥檚 Sweet Sixteen since 2012, the Bearcats do have a winning history: they won it all in 1961 and 1962, and they鈥檝e made the Final Four a total of six times. Kenyon Martin and Lance Stephenson are among the Cincinnati alum who went on to careers in the NBA.
Colleges with the Most NBA Players 鈥� Additional Resources听
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