Great NBA Players Who Spent Four-Years at College
These players sunk many buckets all through their college years
We live in a world that seems to constantly demand instant gratification, one where everyone wants everything as quickly as they can get it. We want our fast food delivered within thirty minutes, our online purchases to be received the very next day, and to binge an entire season of the latest must-watch show in a single night.
This attitude is also seen in the college basketball sphere, with the greatest players expected to make the leap into the NBA as quickly as they can. There’s even a phrase for it, known as being ‘one and done’, which refers to a player only spending a single year playing college ball before heading to the NBA Draft. For instance, many of the top projected picks for the 2023 NBA Draft will be jettisoned through the college system, and you can read up on our predictions for the next iteration of the NBA Draft, here at https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/.
However, we’re going to slow things down a bit, and instead focus on the great players who gave it the old college try, and spent the full four-years in the NCAA Division I, before going on to have super successful careers in the NBA. These superstars show that not everything has to be done at breakneck speed.
Tim Duncan
This player is probably the best example of proving that if you put the effort in at college, it pays off for the rest of your career. The 6ft 11in frame of Tim Duncan made him a towering presence on the basketball court, but it was his pure substance over style work ethic, that has cemented him as being one of the greatest power-forwards to ever play the game. Before he brought his elite workmanship to the San Antonio Spurs though, Duncan spent four-years at Wake Forest University, starring for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
In his senior year, he scooped up every personal trophy going, including the John Wooden Award, and the Naismith College Player of the year. He made such a mark on the university, that in 2009, Duncan was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, as can be seen over on https://www.godeacs.com/.
Steve Nash
There’s been few players in NBA history that could move the ball like Steve Nash. The former point-guard was a delight on the court, dishing the rock to his teammates with laser-guided precision, bullet speed and all topped off with real style. Now with his playing days behind him, he brings his brilliant basketball brain to coaching, with him having taken charge of the Brooklyn Nets for 161 games, between 2020-2022.
Before all this though, Nash was enrolled at the Santa Clara University in sunny California, where he majorly impressed for the full four-years. During his four seasons with the Broncos, Nash led the team to three NCAA March Madness appearances, with him personally earning the West Coast Conference Player of the Year twice. He also produced an immense 510 assists during that period, which briefly earned him the all-time assist record for the Californian college.
Steve Nash was a master of passing the ball, as he showed with the Broncos
Jimmy Butler
This player not only put in the full four-years at college, but actually spent his freshman year at a junior establishment. Jimmy Butler spent one year at Tyler Junior College, performing so admirably at the Texas school, that he attracted attention from the Marquette University. They offered him an athletic scholarship, and Butler was off to Milwaukee to make the step-up to the NCAA Division I. First coming off the bench, the 6ft 7in small forward then became a starter in the side during his junior year, averaging 14.7 points per game.
His stellar college career then resulted in him being picked by the Chicago Bulls in the 2011 NBA Draft, where he was the 30th overall pick. Since then, ‘Jimmy Buckets’ has become a feature of the league, and currently shines for the Miami Heat. He’s just one of the modern-day exciting talents that makes basketball such a loved sport around the world, and with its close-run matches, it’s also a massive draw for bettors globally, as there’s a real opportunity to make some money on the many games.
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