🏀 McCormack Named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Kansas senior David McCormack is one of 20 players named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
The Hall of Fame announced its men’s starting five watch lists this week and there are four Jayhawks represented. Joining McCormack on watch lists are Remy Martin on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, Ochai Agbaji on the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and Jalen Wilson on the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch lists of 20 candidates for every starting five. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor is in its eighth year recognizing the top centers in men’s college basketball.
McCormack averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in 2020-21 and was the named the first recipient of the Big 12 Most Improved Player Award. The Norfolk, Virginia, native was also an all-league second team selection last season. McCormack is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree who graduated from KU in three years with a bachelor’s degree in communications studies in May 2021 and is studying journalism in graduate school. He has twice been nominated for CoSIDA Academic All-America.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at UCLA from 1966-69. 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.
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 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just 5. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
For more information on the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live today, October 22.
2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates*
Name (school) – listed alphabetically by school
Walker Kessler (Auburn)
Nick Muszyinski (Belmont)
Mark Williams   (Duke)
Colin Castleton (Florida)
Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga)
Kofi Cockburn (Illinois)
DAVID MCCORMACK (KANSAS)
Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
Ahsan Asadullah (Lipscomb)
Qudus Wahab (Maryland )
Jalen Duren (Memphis)
Hunter Dickinson (Michigan)
Armando Bacot (North Carolina)
Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State)
Nate Watson (Providence)
Zach Edey (Purdue)
Osun Osunniyi (St. Bonaventure)
Myles Johnson (UCLA)
Fardaws Aimaq (Utah Valley)
Liam Robbins (Vanderbilt)
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2021-2022 season*
