The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday the 20 watch list candidates for the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its seventh year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates, highlighted by Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn. The 2020 Big Ten Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, Cockburn withdrew from the NBA Draft to return to campus for his sophomore campaign.
2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates*
Matt Haarms, BYU
Mark Williams, Duke
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
Luka Garza, Iowa
Olivier Sarr, Kentucky
Ahsan Asadullah, Lipscomb
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago
Mousa Cisse, Memphis
Liam Robbins, Minnesota
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Walker Kessler, North Carolina
Trevion Williams, Purdue
Grant Golden, Richmond
Evan Mobley, USC
Neemius Queta, Utah State
Jay Huff, Virginia
Derek Culver, West Virginia
Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
Micah Potter, Wisconsin
Loudon Love, Wright State
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2020-21 season*
KOFI COCKBURN | 2019-20 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Big Ten Freshman of the Year (coaches & media) and Big Ten Newcomer of the Year (AP)
- Big Ten All-Freshman Team
- Third-team All-Big Ten (media)
- Illinois Freshman of the Year
- Seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, tying the second-most awards in B1G history
- Second on team and 13th in Big Ten in scoring at 13.3 ppg
- Sixth in B1G and fourth among NCAA freshmen in rebounding at 8.8 rpg
- 12 double-doubles, ranking fifth among all freshmen nationally and doubling the previous Illini freshman season record
- Top rebounding freshman in Illini history and No. 5 freshman scorer in school history
- Highest rebounding average (8.8 rpg) and most double-doubles (12) by an Illini player in the last 10 seasons
- Third in B1G and 23rd in NCAA in offensive rebounds (3.5 rpg)
- Shot 53.2% from the field (151-284)
- Led Illini with 44 blocked shots (11th in B1G)
"The final Men's Starting Five watch list we are revealing is that of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Mr. Abdul-Jabbar is unparalleled when it comes to his accomplishments at both the collegiate and professional level. As a strong advocate for education and character, he brings a significant perspective when evaluating talent and we greatly value his involvement."
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed down to just 10. In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, of which Illini junior Ayo Dosunmu is on the watch list, 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.
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 and three-time Consensus First-Team All-American (1967-1969). 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.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Luka Garza, Iowa (2020), 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 on the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live today, Nov. 6.
