Kentucky senior forward Oscar Tshiebwe has been announced as one of the five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award recognizes the nation’s best center and Tshiebwe is in contention alongside Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Zach Edey (Purdue), and Adama Sanogo (UConn).
Basketball fans can show their support for their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies starting today on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
The finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee this month. The Selection Committee for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be announced 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.
Tshiebwe’s impressive statistics speak for themselves. He is leading the country for the second straight year with 13.1 rebounds per contest and a team-best 16.4 points per game. Among Tshiebwe’s Southeastern Conference-high 18 doubles, the senior has tallied six 20-point, 15-rebound contests this season after seven a season ago. He has 13 of the 55 such contests by SEC players in the last 10 seasons.
In just 63 games for Kentucky, Tshiebwe ranks eighth in program history with 894 rebounds. He has registered a double-double in 46 of those 63 games, ranking third in program history behind Dan Issel (64) and Cotton Nash (48).
He became the 61st player in program history to tally more than 1,000 points in a career and currently ranks 52nd overall with 1,065. Only two Wildcats (Rex Chapman – 1,073 and Bill Spivey – 1,213) have tallied more in just two seasons with the Cats.
Tshiebwe’s performance is all the more remarkable considering that he has missed two games this season due to a knee procedure. Despite this, he leads the country in rebounds per game and ranks second in total rebounds (379) – just six off the leader.
In one of the most impressive individual performances of the season, Tshiebwe scored a career-high 37 points and added 24 rebounds in a home victory against Georgia on Jan. 17. It was the first 35-point, 20-rebound game for a Wildcat since 1976 and just the fifth such game in program history.
Tshiebwe’s postseason honors continue to pile up, and he has already been named a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Player of the Year. He is also on the Oscar Robertson Trophy late-season watch list and was named to the All-SEC First Team (coaches) and the Sporting News Third-Team All-America.
Tshiebwe’s record-breaking performances this season have been truly exceptional, and it is no surprise that he is being recognized as one of the top centers in the nation. As basketball fans eagerly await the announcement of the winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, Tshiebwe’s talent and impressive statistics are sure to make him a top contender.
It is worth noting that Tshiebwe’s success is not just limited to this season. Throughout his college basketball career, he has consistently averaged an impressive 12.1 rebounds per game, joining Paul Millsap and Kenneth Faried as the only players since the 1996-97 season to average 12 rebounds per game for their career.
The Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo native has undoubtedly left his mark on the Kentucky Wildcats program, and his talent and hard work have earned him a well-deserved spot as a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
As basketball fans and experts eagerly await the announcement of the winner, it is clear that Tshiebwe’s impressive performances and record-breaking achievements have set him apart as one of the top centers in college basketball. Whether or not he takes home the award, his talent and dedication will undoubtedly continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of basketball.
