Lonzo Ball could end up as one of the top five NBA players from UCLA.

There’s a reason that Den Passes burn a $169 hole in your pocket or that students have slept in tents on Bruin Walk to secure the best seats in Pauley Pavilion.

With 11 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championships — more than any other school — UCLA touts a world-class basketball program that has produced 88 NBA players.

This post investigates the quantity and quality of these players over the tenure of UCLA’s basketball program.

Trends over Time

Below you can toggle between various metrics to explore trends.





NBA Performance is measured by VORP (value over replacement player) during the player's best year. Draft Position shows the earliest draft pick for each year. Years at UCLA shows the average number of years playing for UCLA before entering the NBA. Number of Players Drafted indicates how many Bruins were drafted into the NBA in a given year.







If multiple players were drafted in a particular year, their VORPs are added. A time frame of 1969 to 2009 is used, since VORP data was not thoroughly available before 1969, and players drafted after 2009 have likely not hit their peak performance.



An early draft number indicates that a particular player was a top prospect.

If multiple players were drafted in a particular year, the earliest pick is taken. Undrafted players and players selected using a territorial pick were omitted.

If multiple players were drafted in the same year, the average was taken

Undrafted players were omitted.





Interesting Facts:

In both 1974 and 2008, UCLA sent two All-Star players to the NBA in the same year - ( Bill Walton and Jamaal Wilkes in ‘74, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love in ‘08).

In 2006, the “Years Spent at UCLA” statistic starts to decline. This can be attributed to the “one-and-done” phenomenon that began from the 2006 rule in which players were required to be at least one year removed from high school before entering the NBA draft. This forced many talented players to spend a year in college before moving on to the NBA.

6 players from UCLA’s 1995 championship team went to the NBA. However, none of those players flourished in the NBA.





Notable Players

Name Draft Year VORP of Best Year Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969 10.5 Russell Westbrook 2008 8.3 Kevin Love 2008 7.3 Baron Davis 1999 5.2 Reggie Miller 1987 5.2

Name Draft Year All Star Appearances Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969 19 Russell Westbrook 2008 6 Marques Johnson 1977 5 Gail Goodrich 1965 5 Reggie Miller 1987 5

Name Draft Year Team Normal Powell 2015 Raptors Kevon Looney 2015 Warriors Zach Lavine 2014 Timberwolves Kyle Anderson 2014 Spurs Jordan Adams 2014 Grizzlies

Name Draft Year Pick Trevor Ariza 2004 43 Kevin Love 2008 5 Jrue Holiday 2009 17 Shabazz Muhammad 2013 14 Zach LaVine 2014 13 Kevon Looney 2014 30





Where does Lonzo rank?

This year’s revitalized UCLA basketball showcases at least 2 players expected to be selected in the NBA draft: Lonzo Ball, expected second pick; T.J. Leaf, expected 20th to 22nd pick; and possibly a third player in Ike Anigbogu.

Of the three, Ball is the most likely to someday sit on the pedestal of UCLA greats. While forecasting the trajectory of any NBA prospect is not a trivial task, examining the career of a similar player may proffer some guidance.

College stats of Lonzo Ball vs. Jason Kidd





Ball’s statistics are up to date as of Jan. 29, 2017. Kidd’s statistics are an average of his 2-year college career at Cal.





Vitals of Lonzo Ball (UCLA) vs. Jason Kidd (Cal)

Height Weight Lonzo Ball 6-6 190 lbs Jason Kidd 6-4 205 lbs





Admittedly, similar college production and vitals are insufficient evidence to conclude that Ball will follow Kidd’s footsteps, but the comparison does warrant some attention. If Ball does follow a similar career path as Kidd, then he may end up as one of the most successful NBA players out of UCLA.

VORP of Best Year: Kidd vs. UCLA Greats



The chart above indicates that if Ball’s career is identical to Kidd’s, he could end up as the fourth best player out of UCLA (measured by VORP in a player’s best NBA year).



Data Collection and Discussion of VORP