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John Wooden Award favorites: Johni Broome the favorite once again

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.

2024/25 John R. Wooden Award odds

Johni Broome

-900

Cooper Flagg

+500

Duke forward Cooper Flagg had gotten his Wooden Award odds as short as -900 in late January, but as of late February, Auburn forward Johni Broome is once again the favorite for the award at -240.

Broome had missed a couple of games due to injury, but since he returned in a win over Tennessee on January 25th, he has averaged 20.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 blocks while shooting 46.0 percent overall. For the entire season, he's averaging 18.8 points and 3.4 assists while leading the SEC with 11.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

The Auburn forward also has 17 double-doubles in 26 games. He has one 30-point game - he dropped 31 in a late February win over Georgia - and he has also led his team to wins over Houston, Iowa State, Purdue, Texas, Tennessee and Alabama.

Flagg is the +190 second-favorite for the Wooden Award, and he and Broome are the only contenders in the betting. The Duke star entered his first collegiate season with plenty of hype, and he has only improved since his first game.

He leads the Blue Devils in scoring (19.4 points per game), rebounds (7.6), assists (4.1), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.1), and he is shooting 49.1 percent overall and 37.5 percent from three in 28 games.

Even more impressive is how he's shooting 46.4 percent from three-point range since the start of 2025. He shot just 27.1 percent from deep in the first two months of the season. Flagg dropped a career-high 42 points in a win over Notre Dame, and he has also led the Blue Devils to wins over Arizona, Auburn, NC State, North Carolina, and Illinois.

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.

John Wooden Award past winners

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

John Wooden Award trophy

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.

John Wooden Award announcement

The winner of the Wooden Award is expected to be announced following the end of the NCAA Tournament in early April.

John Wooden Award voting

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.

Read the latest College Basketball news on site.

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