“Naismith Starting Five” Fan Voting Presented by Dell Technologies to Open Today
at HoophallAwards.com
Springfield, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, Pac-12 Player of the Century and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top centers in men’s college basketball.
The five finalists for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are Vernon Carey Jr. (Duke), Filip Petrusev (Gonzaga), Luka Garza (Iowa), Udoka Azubuike (Kansas) and Nathan Knight (William & Mary).
“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his accomplishments stand alone at both the collegiate and professional level,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “To be acknowledged as a finalist for an award that bears his name is an extreme achievement. We are grateful to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar for the time and effort he puts into making this selection come April.”
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in October, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in early February and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 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. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live today, March 6 via hoophallawards.com.
“Since inception of this award, the student-athletes we have recognized have been tremendous centers and young men of great character,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1995. “I enjoy the process of learning more about our finalists as we observe their games and I look forward bestowing this honor in April.”
The winner of the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting Five. Additional awards being presented and receiving support from Eaton Ephesus Lighting 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, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the telecast will be released by ESPN in the coming weeks.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include 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 and the latest updates on the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer 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, three-time Consensus First-Team All-American (1967-1969) and Pac-12 Player of the Century. As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star and the league’s all-time leading scorer.
About the Naismith Memorial 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 www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.