Best NBA Player from every Power 5 School

Best NBA player who played for Michigan Wolverines — Chris Webber

• 5X All-Star
• 5X All-NBA
• 1994 Rookie of the Year

With five All-Star appearances and five All-NBA nods under his belt, Chris Webber’s resume is impossible to deny. He won Rookie of the Year with Golden State in 1994 before getting shipped to Washington, where his career blossomed further. It wasn’t until his move to Sacramento in 2000, however, that Webber reached his peak.

A springy athlete and gifted interior scorer, Webber dominated western conference frontcourts in Sacramento, culminating with a fourth-place finish in 2001 MVP voting. The Kings were a force in the early 2000s, but despite several postseason slugfests with Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers, Webber and the Kings never won a championship.

Webber began his collegiate career as a member of the vaunted Fab Five, a group of high-profile freshman recruits who committed to Michigan in 1991. Webber, Juwan Howard, and Jalen Rose were headliners. The Wolverines would make two consecutive championship game appearances, becoming the first team to appear in the NCAA title game while starting five freshmen. Webber and Co., however, lost both times.

Runner-up: Glen Rice — Rice started his career in Miami, but he spent three years with Charlotte from 1995 to 1998. In that span, he made all three of his All-Star appearances. 

Best NBA player who played for Minnesota Golden Gophers — Kevin McHale

• 3X NBA Champion
• 7X All-Star
• 2X Sixth Man of the Year

One of several Hall of Fame big men in Celtics history, Kevin McHale made his mark the old-fashioned way — dominating the post on both ends. Boston acquired McHale by trading down from No. 1 to No. 3 on draft night. He began his career as one of the league’s top sixth men, anchoring Boston’s deep frontcourt rotation.

McHale wouldn’t start consistently until his sixth season, but he was productive from day one. He even made the All-Star Game in 1984 despite starting in only 10 of 82 games for Boston. After getting named starter in 1985-86, McHale made sixth consecutive All-Star appearances. He and the Celtics won three championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986.

Spending four seasons in college, McHale’s Minnesota career displayed plenty of similarities to his NBA career. He never won a championship, but he is second in total points and rebounds in Gophers history. Using his lanky 6-foot-10 frame to swallow up space in the paint, McHale was impossible to navigate for many opposing offenses.

Runner-up: Lou Hudson — Hudson was a central figure in the early years of Atlanta basketball. He started with the Hawks in St. Louis, then transitioned with the team to Atlanta, where he earned six All-Star nominations.