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.

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