The John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual award in College Basketball, awarded to the nation's best player after each season.
The last player to win the award was Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 Purdue Boilermakers center. He won it in both 2022/23 and 2023/24, becoming the first player to win it twice in a row since Ralph Sampson of Virginia in 1981/82 and 1982/83.
Edey averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.1 blocks on 60.7 percent shooting to win his first Wooden Award, and he averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks on 62.3 percent shooting to win his second one.
Now, Edey is in the NBA, and a handful of players are among the favorites to win the Wooden Award in 2024/25 as a result.
Below is a look at all the current favorites to win the 2024/25 Wooden Award.
Cooper Flagg | -900 |
Johni Broome | +500 |
Braden Smith | +4000 |
Kam Jones | +4000 |
Eric Dixon | +10000 |
Auburn forward Johni Broome was the Wooden Award favorite for most of the season, but after he picked up an ankle injury that kept him out for a couple of games, Duke forward Cooper Flagg overtook him and has become the heavy favorite at -900.
Flagg entered his first season at Duke with plenty of hype, and he has only improved since his first game. He leads the Duke Blue Devils in scoring (19.9 points per game), rebounds (8.0), assists (4.1), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.2), and he has shot 42.5 percent from three in his last 10 games after shooting 22.2 percent in his first 10.
In his best performance of his short college career, Flagg dropped a career-high 42 points with six rebounds, seven assists, and a steal in a win over Notre Dame. He shot 11/14 overall and 4/6 from three, and he played 36 minutes in the 86-78 Duke win.
Broome is second in the odds at +500 after missing two games and coming off the bench in one due to the injury. He's averaging 17.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 blocks while shooting 53.0 percent from the field, and his rebounds and blocks per game are the best in the SEC.
In his first game back from injury against then-No. 6 Tennessee, Broome played 33 minutes off the bench and scored 16 points with 14 rebounds, two assists and four blocks.
Flagg and Broome are the only players with odds shorter than 40/1 to win the Wooden Award. Next in the market, at +4000 each, are Marquette Golden Eagles guard Kam Jones and Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith.
Next in the odds, at 100/1 to 150/1, are Villanova forward Eric Dixon, Alabama Crimson Tide guard and preseason Wooden Award favorite Mark Sears, and Memphis guard PJ Haggerty.
Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
Year | Name | College |
2023/24 | Zach Edey | Purdue |
2022/23 | Zach Edey | Purdue |
2021/22 | Oscar Tshiebwe | Kentucky |
2020/21 | Luka Garza | Iowa |
2019/20 | Obi Toppin | Dayton |
2018/19 | Zion Williamson | Duke |
2017/18 | Jalen Brunson | Villanova |
2016/17 | Frank Mason III | Kansas |
2015/16 | Buddy Hield | Oklahoma |
2014/15 | Frank Kaminsky | Wisconsin |
2013/14 | Doug McDermott | Creighton |
2012/13 | Trey Burke | Michigan |
2011/12 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky |
2010/11 | Jimmer Fredette | BYU |
2009/10 | Evan Turner | Ohio State |
2008/09 | Blake Griffin | Oklahoma |
2007/08 | Tyler Hansbrough | North Carolina |
2006/07 | Kevin Durant | Texas |
2005/06 | JJ Redick | Duke |
2004/05 | Andrew Bogut | Utah |
2003/04 | Jameer Nelson | Saint Joseph's |
2002/03 | TJ Ford | Texas |
2001/02 | Jason Williams | Duke |
2000/01 | Shane Battier | Duke |
1999/00 | Kenyon Martin | Cincinnati |
1998/99 | Elton Brand | Duke |
1997/98 | Antawn Jamison | North Carolina |
1996/97 | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest |
1995/96 | Marcus Camby | UMass |
1994/95 | Ed O'Bannon | UCLA |
1993/94 | Glenn Robinson | Purdue |
1992/93 | Calbert Cheany | Indiana |
1991/92 | Christian Laettner | Duke |
1990/91 | Larry Johnson | UNLV |
1989/90 | Lionel Simmons | La Salle |
1988/89 | Sean Elliott | Arizona |
1987/88 | Danny Manning | Kansas |
1986/87 | David Robinson | Navy |
1985/86 | Walter Berry | St. John's |
1984/85 | Chris Mullin | St. John's |
1983/84 | Michael Jordan | North Carolina |
1982/83 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia |
1981/82 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia |
1980/81 | Danny Ainge | BYU |
1979/80 | Darrell Griffith | Louisville |
1978/79 | Larry Bird | Indiana State |
1977/78 | Phil Ford | North Carolina |
1976/77 | Marques Johnson | UCLA |
The Wooden Award trophy features five bronze figures that depict each of the five skills that John Wooden said a total basketball player must have: rebounding, passing, shooting, dribbling, and defense. The base of the trophy is made out of walnut, and the trophy weighs 25 pounds in total.
The winner of the Wooden Award is expected to be announced following the end of the NCAA Tournament in early April.
The media and fans can vote on the Wooden Award winner. Fans can vote through the award's website, while nearly 1,000 media members - representing all 50 states - vote on the award.