Best NBA Player from every Power 5 School

Best NBA player who played for USC Trojans — Bill Sharman

• 4X NBA Champion
• 8X All-Star
• 7X All-NBA

Bill Sharman’s story is a remarkable one. He served in World War II from 1944 to 1946, then won the college basketball World Series as USC’s first baseman. On the basketball team, he received All-American honors and was drafted to the NBA in 1950. He simultaneously played in the NBA and the MLB (as a minor-leaguer) from 1950 to 1955, at which point he turned solely to basketball.

Sharman started his NBA career with the Washington Capitals, who disbanded after the season. Sharman then landed in Boston, where he spent the remainder of his 11-year career. With eight All-Star appearances and four NBA titles, Sharman’s legacy is concrete. He formed one of NBA’s most formidable early backcourts with Celtics legend Bob Cousy. Sharman also led the NBA in free throw percentage seven times.

At USC, Sharman came on strongest as a junior and senior. He averaged 18.6 points his final year. Even so, his greatest team accomplishment came in a different sport, which showcases the range of Sharman’s athletic ability.

Runner-up: Paul Westphal — Westphal spent the first three years of his career in Boston, where he won a championship in 1974. He then went to Phoenix, where he blossomed into a five-time All-Star and one of the NBA’s top scoring guards. 

Best NBA player who played for Utah Utes — Tom Chambers

• 4X All-Star
• 2X All-NBA

After languishing on a losing Clippers team to start his career, Tom Chambers made the move to Seattle in 1983, his third season. He would spend five years in the northwest, where he came into his own as a prolific interior scorer. He made his first of four All-Star appearances with the Sonics.

In 1988, Chambers left Seattle to spend the next five years in Phoenix, where he reached his peak. Chambers appeared in three consecutive All-Star games from 1989 to 1991, and as a sixth man, helped Phoenix to a Finals appearance in 1993. The Charles Barkley-led team lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls in six. Chambers is one of two NBA players with over 20,000 career points who has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Chambers spent four years at Utah. He was particularly strong in his final three seasons, with the power to dominate the low block and the shooting touch to stretch defenses. As a senior, he averaged 18.6 points and 8.7 rebounds — his best season.

Runner-up: Andre Miller — Miller was well-traveled and one of the NBA’s most cerebral players, truly operating at his own speed. He led the league in assists in just his third season.