John R. Wooden Award

For the Pac-12 Conference coaching award, see John R. Wooden Coach of the Year.

The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The Wooden Award program consists of the men's and women's player of the year awards, the Legends of Coaching Award, and recognizing All-America teams. The player of the year award was originally given only to men's basketball players starting in 1977 and expanded to women's players in 2004. Meanwhile, the Legends of Coaching Award was first presented in 1999.

John R. Wooden Award

Awarded for	the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players
Country	United States
Presented by	Los Angeles Athletic Club
History
First award	1977 (men) 2004 (women)
Most recent	Cooper Flagg, Duke (men) JuJu Watkins, USC (women)
Website	Official website

The awards are given by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.^[1] They are named in honor of John Wooden, the 1932 national collegiate basketball player of the year from Purdue. Wooden later taught and coached men's basketball at Indiana State and UCLA.^[1] Coach Wooden, whose UCLA teams won 10 NCAA Division I championships, was the first man to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.^[1][2] His 1947–48 Indiana State team was the NAIA national runner-up.

About the award

Selection process

At the end of each February, the award's National Advisory Board, a 26-member panel, selects 15 men's and 15 women's candidates for player of the year and All-American Team honors.^[1] After the Elite Eight, the field is narrowed to 10 finalists each.^[1] The winner’s university receives a replica trophy.^[1] All-America Team members designated charities (official 501(c)(3)) receive a donation from the Wooden Award Foundation as a matching gift.^[1] The candidates must be full-time students and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher throughout their college careers. Players who are nominated must have made outstanding contributions to team play, both offensively and defensively, and be model citizens, exhibiting strength of character both on and off the court. The selection ballot is announced prior to the NCAA tournament. The voters consist of 1,000 sportswriters and sportscasters representing the 50 states. The top 10 vote-getters are selected to the All-American Team and the results are announced following the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament. The person who receives the most votes is named the national player of the year, and the winner is announced following the NCAA championship game. The player of the year is awarded a trophy consisting of five bronze figures. The player's school receives a duplicate trophy as well as a scholarship grant. The other top four members of the All-American Team receive an All-American Team trophy, a jacket, and a scholarship grant which goes to their school. Each coach of the top five All-American Team members also receives a jacket. The All-American Team members ranked six through ten receive an All-American Team trophy and a jacket, but their schools do not receive a scholarship.

The criteria for the women's player of the year award and All-American Team honors are similar to those for the men. For the women's award, the National Advisory Board consists of 12 members, and approximately 15 candidates are selected for the ballot. The voters are 250 sportswriters and sportscasters. In contrast to the men's All-American Team, only five members are selected for the women's team. The national player of the year receives a trophy, and her school receives a duplicate trophy and a scholarship grant.

Trophy

The trophy features five bronze figures, each depicting one of the five major skills that Wooden believed that "total" basketball player must exhibit: rebounding, passing, shooting, dribbling, and defense.^[3] The concept for the trophy originated with Wooden Award Chairman, Richard "Duke" Llewellyn.^[3] Work began on the trophy in 1975, and sculptor Don Winton, who had sculpted many top sports awards, was given the task of designing the model of the trophy.^[3] The figures are bronze plated and attached to a pentagonal base plate.^[3] The tallest figure is 101⁄4 inches high (26 cm). The trophy's base is 71⁄2 inches high (19 cm), and is made from solid walnut.^[3] The total height of the trophy is 17+3⁄4 inches (45 cm), and it weighs 25 lb (11 kg).^[3]

Trademark dispute

In 1976, the Los Angeles Athletic Club was looking to establish the college basketball equivalent of football's Heisman trophy – a nationally prestigious award to be conferred upon the best basketball player in the nation.^[4] According to Wagonheim Law in Hunt Valley, Maryland, "The LAAC chose to name the award after John Wooden, who signed over the right to use his name to the LAAC, which trademarked it as soon as the contracts were signed.^[4] In January 2005, Wooden sought to influence another group for the better by working with a group known as Athletes for a Better World to recognize an athlete, regardless of sport, for contributions outside of the game. The award was dubbed The Wooden Cup. The LAAC balked, citing a violation of its trademark. Still able to size up the opposition after so many years removed from sport, John Wooden conceded."^[4]

Key

Player (X)

Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Wooden Award at that point

Wooden Award winners

Danny Ainge, BYU, 1981

Chris Mullin, St. John's, 1985

Sean Elliott, Arizona, 1989

Ed O'Bannon, UCLA, 1995

Shane Battier, Duke, 2001

Alana Beard, Duke, 2004

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina, 2008

Candace Parker, Tennessee, 2007 and 2008

Cooper Flagg, Duke, 2025

Aliyah Boston, South Carolina, 2022

Men Season Player School Position Class Reference 1976–77 Marques Johnson UCLA F Senior [5] 1977–78 Phil Ford North Carolina PG Senior [6] 1978–79 Larry Bird Indiana State SF Senior [7] 1979–80 Darrell Griffith Louisville SG Senior [8] 1980–81 Danny Ainge BYU SG Senior [9] 1981–82 Ralph Sampson Virginia C Junior [10] 1982–83 Ralph Sampson (2) Virginia C Senior [11] 1983–84 Michael Jordan North Carolina SG Junior [12] 1984–85 Chris Mullin St. John's SF / SG Senior [13] 1985–86 Walter Berry St. John's PF Senior [14] 1986–87 David Robinson Navy C Senior [15] 1987–88 Danny Manning Kansas PF Senior [16] 1988–89 Sean Elliott Arizona SF Senior [17] 1989–90 Lionel Simmons La Salle SF Senior [18] 1990–91 Larry Johnson UNLV PF Senior [19] 1991–92 Christian Laettner Duke F Senior [20] 1992–93 Calbert Cheaney Indiana SF Senior [21] 1993–94 Glenn Robinson Purdue SF / PF Junior [22] 1994–95 Ed O'Bannon UCLA SF Senior [23] 1995–96 Marcus Camby UMass C Junior [24] 1996–97 Tim Duncan Wake Forest C Senior [25] 1997–98 Antawn Jamison North Carolina PF Junior [26] 1998–99 Elton Brand Duke C Sophomore [27] 1999–00 Kenyon Martin Cincinnati PF Senior [28] 2000–01 Shane Battier Duke SF / PF Senior [29] 2001–02 Jason Williams Duke PG Junior [30] 2002–03 T. J. Ford Texas PG Sophomore [31] 2003–04 Jameer Nelson Saint Joseph's PG Senior [32] 2004–05 Andrew Bogut Utah C Sophomore [33] 2005–06 JJ Redick Duke SG Senior [34] 2006–07 Kevin Durant Texas SF Freshman [35] 2007–08 Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina PF Junior [36] 2008–09 Blake Griffin Oklahoma PF Sophomore [37] 2009–10 Evan Turner Ohio State SF Junior [38] 2010–11 Jimmer Fredette BYU PG Senior [39] 2011–12 Anthony Davis Kentucky C Freshman [40] 2012–13 Trey Burke Michigan PG Sophomore [41] 2013–14 Doug McDermott Creighton SF / PF Senior [42] 2014–15 Frank Kaminsky Wisconsin PF Senior [43] 2015–16 Buddy Hield Oklahoma SG Senior [44] 2016–17 Frank Mason III Kansas PG Senior [45] 2017–18 Jalen Brunson Villanova PG Junior [46] 2018–19 Zion Williamson Duke SF / PF Freshman [47] 2019–20 Obi Toppin Dayton PF Sophomore [48] 2020–21 Luka Garza Iowa C Senior [49] 2021–22 Oscar Tshiebwe Kentucky C Junior [50] 2022–23 Zach Edey Purdue C Junior [51] 2023–24 Zach Edey (2) Purdue C Senior [52] 2024–25 Cooper Flagg Duke SG / SF Freshman [53]

Women Season Player School Position Class Reference 1976–77 No award 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 Alana Beard Duke SG / SF Senior [32] 2004–05 Seimone Augustus LSU SG / SF Junior [33] 2005–06 Seimone Augustus (2) LSU SG / SF Senior [34] 2006–07 Candace Parker Tennessee PF Junior [35] 2007–08 Candace Parker (2) Tennessee PF Senior [36] 2008–09 Maya Moore UConn PF Sophomore [37] 2009–10 Tina Charles UConn C Senior [38] 2010–11 Maya Moore (2) UConn PF Senior [39] 2011–12 Brittney Griner Baylor C Junior [40] 2012–13 Brittney Griner (2) Baylor C Senior [41] 2013–14 Chiney Ogwumike Stanford PF Senior [42] 2014–15 Breanna Stewart UConn PF Junior [43] 2015–16 Breanna Stewart (2) UConn PF Senior [44] 2016–17 Kelsey Plum Washington PG Senior [45] 2017–18 A'ja Wilson South Carolina C Senior [46] 2018–19 Sabrina Ionescu Oregon PG Junior [47] 2019–20 Sabrina Ionescu (2) Oregon PG Senior [48] 2020–21 Paige Bueckers UConn PG Freshman [49] 2021–22 Aliyah Boston South Carolina PF / C Junior [54] 2022–23 Caitlin Clark Iowa PG Junior [51] 2023–24 Caitlin Clark (2) Iowa PG Senior [52] 2024–25 JuJu Watkins USC SG Sophomore [55]

Legends of Coaching Award

Wooden Legends of
Coaching Award

Dean Smith's 1999 award
Awarded for	head college basketball coaches exemplifying high standards of coaching success and personal achievement
Country	United States
Presented by	Los Angeles Athletic Club
History
First award	1999
Most recent	Mark Few, Gonzaga
Website	Official website

The Legends of Coaching Award recognizes the lifetime achievement of coaches who exemplify Coach Wooden's high standards of coaching success and personal achievement. When selecting the individual, the Wooden Award Committee considers a coach's character, success rate on the court, graduating rate of student athletes, his or her coaching philosophy, and identification with the goals of the John R. Wooden Award. This award is bestowed upon both men's and women's coaches. The first recipient who was never a head coach in NCAA Division I was 2021 recipient Dave Yanai, whose entire head coaching career was in NCAA Division II.

Lute Olson

Dawn Staley

Tara VanDerveer

Mark Few

Season	Coach	School[a]	Reference
1998–99	Dean Smith	North Carolina	[56]
1999–00	Mike Krzyzewski	Duke	[57]
2000–01	Lute Olson	Arizona	[58]
2001–02	Denny Crum	Louisville	[59]
2002–03	Roy Williams	Kansas	[60]
2003–04	Mike Montgomery	Stanford	[61]
2004–05	Jim Calhoun	UConn	[62]
2005–06	Jim Boeheim	Syracuse	[63]
2006–07	Gene Keady	Purdue	[64]
2007–08	Pat Summitt	Tennessee (women)	[65]
2008–09	Rick Barnes	Texas	[66]
2009–10	Billy Donovan	Florida	[67]
2010–11	Tom Izzo	Michigan State	[68]
2011–12	Geno Auriemma	UConn (women)	[69]
2012–13	Bill Self	Kansas	[70]
2013–14	Tara VanDerveer	Stanford (women)	[71]
2014–15	Steve Fisher	San Diego State	[72]
2015–16	Tubby Smith	Texas Tech	[73]
2016–17	Muffet McGraw	Notre Dame (women)	[74]
2017–18	Jay Wright	Villanova	[75]
2018–19	Lon Kruger	Oklahoma	[76]
2019–20	C. Vivian Stringer	Rutgers (women)	[77]
2020–21	Dave Yanai	Cal State Los Angeles	[78]
2021–22	Rick Byrd	Belmont	[79]
2022–23	Dawn Staley	South Carolina (women)	[80]
2023–24	John Calipari	Kentucky	[81]
2024–25	Mark Few	Gonzaga	[82]

• ^a The school at which these coaches were presented the Legends of Coaching Award is only listed, for conciseness. Some of them have coached at multiple schools throughout their careers.

See also

• List of U.S. men's college basketball national player of the year awards