Best NBA Player from every Power 5 School

Best NBA player who played for Illinois Fighting Illini — Deron Williams

• 3X All-Star
• 2X All-NBA Second Team
• All-Rookie First Team

Before he was part of Brooklyn’s infamously middle-of-the-road superteam, Deron Williams lit up Salt Lake City. With the Jazz, he was one of the NBA’s top point guards, making two of his three All-Star appearances in Utah. He was an organizational cornerstone, helping Utah to the conference finals in just his second season.

Williams was traded to Brooklyn (then New Jersey) midway through the 2010-11 season. He accumulated 47 assists in his first three games as a Net, setting a league record and making clear his impact as one of the NBA’s most prolific facilitators. Williams made the game easier for everyone around him.

At Illinois, where he spent three years, Williams put the Illini on the map. He led them to the winningest season in program history in 2005, making it all the way to the national championship game. Williams’ game-winning 3-pointer in Illinois’ Final Four win over Arizona is a history-book shot.

Runner-up: Eddie Johnson — A talented wing scorer, Johnson experienced many successful campaigns as a starter, but also won Sixth Man of the Year with Phoenix in 1989. 

Best NBA player who played for Indiana Hoosiers — Isiah Thomas

• 2X NBA Champion
• 1990 Finals MVP
• 12X All-Star

Indiana is hallowed ground for basketball unlike any state, and the University of Indiana carries a similar reputation. Naturally, it has produced a Hall of Fame talent like Isiah Thomas, who led the Bad Boy Pistons to two NBA championships — including Finals MVP honors in 1990.

Thomas was a dogged competitor, and he currently sits top-20 all-time in steals accumulated. On offense, he was a lightning-bolt scorer, with countless accolades — five All-NBA nods, 12 All-Star appearances, two All-Star Game MVPs — to highlight his excellence on the court. The Pistons were a grueling opponent for any team, in part because of Thomas’s relentless hustle and massive talent.

In college, Thomas established himself as one of Indiana’s all-time greats under Bob Knight. He spent two years in Bloomington, leading Indiana to the Sweet 16 as a freshman before guiding Indiana to a national title in 1981. He was named Final Four MVP that year.

Runner-up: Walt Bellamy — A four-time All-Star, the 1962 Rookie of the Year, and a member of the Hall of Fame, Bellamy’s resume stands on its own.