Kalkbrenner Named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List
11/1/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior center has been a finalist the last two years
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor, in its 11th year, recognizes the top center in men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
A Florissant, Mo., native, Kalkbrenner enters fifth season with lofty expectations after averaging 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game last season. A year ago he was named Second Team All-BIG EAST and became the third player in league history to be a three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, joining Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing.
The preseason buzz has ramped up heading into 2024-25 as he's been named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and a First Team Preseason All-American by CBS Sports, FOX Sports and Field of 68. He remains the only player in program history to earn multiple Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST accolades, having done so three times. Kalkbrenner also owns Creighton records in NCAA Tournament play for wins played in, points, blocks, field goals and games played in, as CU has made three trips to the Sweet 16 or beyond in his first four seasons.
Kalkbrenner is one of two Creighton players in the 10 seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point, joining Justin Patton in 2016-17. Patton was on the preseason list of 20 and later made the cut down to 10 during his campaign that saw him earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades and become a First Round pick in the NBA Draft. Kalkbrenner was on the initial list of 20, made the cut down to 10, and was one of five finalists before it was won by Purdue's Zach Edey each of the previous two years.
Kalkbrenner is one of five players to be on the Preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar list for the second straight season, joining Alabama's Clifford Omoruyi, Minnesota's Dawson Garcia, Kansas' Hunter Dickinson and Indiana's Oumar Ballo. Of that group, Kalkbrenner is the only non-transfer.
2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2024-25 season.
The watch list of 20 players for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be narrowed to 10 on February 3, and then on March 3rd, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected and announced on April 4th.
The winner of the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award are Zach Edey, Purdue (2023 & 2024), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), 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 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #KareemAward on X and Instagram.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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 second on the league's all-time scoring list. In 2021, the NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which honors players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and #KareemAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
A Florissant, Mo., native, Kalkbrenner enters fifth season with lofty expectations after averaging 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game last season. A year ago he was named Second Team All-BIG EAST and became the third player in league history to be a three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, joining Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing.
The preseason buzz has ramped up heading into 2024-25 as he's been named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and a First Team Preseason All-American by CBS Sports, FOX Sports and Field of 68. He remains the only player in program history to earn multiple Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST accolades, having done so three times. Kalkbrenner also owns Creighton records in NCAA Tournament play for wins played in, points, blocks, field goals and games played in, as CU has made three trips to the Sweet 16 or beyond in his first four seasons.
Kalkbrenner is one of two Creighton players in the 10 seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point, joining Justin Patton in 2016-17. Patton was on the preseason list of 20 and later made the cut down to 10 during his campaign that saw him earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades and become a First Round pick in the NBA Draft. Kalkbrenner was on the initial list of 20, made the cut down to 10, and was one of five finalists before it was won by Purdue's Zach Edey each of the previous two years.
Kalkbrenner is one of five players to be on the Preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar list for the second straight season, joining Alabama's Clifford Omoruyi, Minnesota's Dawson Garcia, Kansas' Hunter Dickinson and Indiana's Oumar Ballo. Of that group, Kalkbrenner is the only non-transfer.
2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates
| Clifford Omoruyi | Alabama | Vladislav Goldon | Michigan |
| Motiejus Krivas | Arizona | Dawson Garcia | Minnesota |
| Jayden Quaintance | Arizona State | Malika Dia | Ole Miss |
| Jonas Aidoo | Arkansas | Robbie Avila | Saint Louis |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton | Mitchell Saxen | Saint Mary's |
| Khaman Maluach | Duke | Maxime Raynaud | Stanford |
| Oumar Ballo | Indiana | Eddie Lampkin | Syracuse |
| Hunter Dickinson | Kansas | William Kyle III | UCLA |
| Amari Williams | Kentucky | Samson Johnson | UConn |
| Derik Queen | Maryland | Efton Reid II | Wake Forest |
The watch list of 20 players for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be narrowed to 10 on February 3, and then on March 3rd, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected and announced on April 4th.
The winner of the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award are Zach Edey, Purdue (2023 & 2024), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), 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 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #KareemAward on X and Instagram.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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 second on the league's all-time scoring list. In 2021, the NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which honors players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and #KareemAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
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