- Kemba Walker averaged 23.5 points in his final season.
- Emeka Okafor averaged over four blocks per game at UConn.
- Shabazz Napier won two national championships in 2011 and 2014.
The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team was established in 1901, but it took 98 years to win their first NCAA championship. From 1999 to 2023, they won five titles, including three between 2011 and 2023.
As of this writing, we’re gearing up for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and the Huskies are the 2023 defending champions. So, if you took a chance on some of their basketball lines while betting last season, you likely did well as they took home the title as a No. 4 seed.
Their five national championships tie Duke and Indiana for fourth-most all-time.
Below, I’ll sort through the annals of their history and list the seven best players of all time in program history.
Best UConn Huskies Basketball Players of All Time
| Rank | Player | Position | UConn Years |
| 1 | Kemba Walker | G | 2008-2011 |
| 2 | Richard "Rip" Hamilton | G/F | 1996-1999 |
| 3 | Emeka Okafor | G/F | 2001-2004 |
| 4 | Ray Allen | G/F | 1993-1996 |
| 5 | Ben Gordon | G | 2001-2004 |
| 6 | Shabazz Napier | F | 2010-2014 |
| 7 | Caron Butler | F | 2000-2002 |
1. Kemba Walker
There’s certainly a debate for the No. 1 player in UConn Huskies history, but we’re leaning toward Walker. Not only did he help lead the Huskies to an NCAA championship in 2011, but that same year, he was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, a first-team All-American, Bob Cousy award winner, and Big East Tournament MVP.
In his final season, 2010-11, he averaged 23.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Over his UConn career, he started 77 games, played in 111, and averaged 16.1 points per game.
2. Richard “Rip” Hamilton
Hamilton comes in at No. 2, but we could almost say he and Walker are “1A” and “1B.” Over his three seasons with the program, he averaged 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He won the 1999 NCAA championship, and that same year, he was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, a first-team All-American, Big East Player of the Year, and more. He also won several awards the year before in 1998.
He falls to No. 2 because of Walker’s final season, culminating in a national championship.
3. Emeka Okafor
An NCAA champion in 2004, Okafor was the centerpiece of that championship run, averaging 17.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks per game. He was absolutely dominant, especially in his final two seasons. As a freshman, he averaged just 7.9 points per game but had nine rebounds and 4.1 blocks.
He was named an All-American, 2x NCAA All-Region, 3x All-Big East, and more.
4. Ray Allen
Although he never won a national championship, Allen was a sensational player for UConn. Not only did he average 19 points and six rebounds per game over his three-year career, but he was a sensational 3-point shooter, going nearly 45% from beyond the arc. Of course, that was something he executed well in the NBA.
He was a Big East All-Freshman, 2x All-Big East, and an All-American.
5. Ben Gordon
A first-team All-Big East, second-team All-Big East, and Big East Tournament MVP, Gordon averaged 16.9 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game.
In his final season, he averaged 18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 44% from the floor.
6. Shabazz Napier
Playing four seasons at UConn, Napier averaged 13.7 points per game, four rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals. In his senior season, he averaged 18 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
He won two national championships in 2011 and 2014. He was the Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 2014, a first-team All-American, AAC Player of the Year, and first-team All-AAC. He also won the Bob Cousy Award in 2014.
7. Caron Butler
Across two seasons, Butler was a fantastic player for the Huskies, averaging 18 points, 7.6 rebounds, three assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He averaged more than 20 in 2001-02. He shot 46.5% from the field and 36.4% from 3-point range.
He was the Big East Player of the Year in 2002 and was named first-team All-Big East.
