Since the 2008 NBA Draft blue-blood programs (Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, UCLA and UConn) have produced some of the best professional talent. Kansas produced the 2023 NBA MVP (Joel Embiid) and UCLA can claim Russell Westbrook, who won the most prestigious individual award in the NBA following the 2016-17 season.
The player who headlines the list of best NBA players from blue blood programs is Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. During his peak, he helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA title in 2020 and could be argued to be the best player in the association at the peak of his NBA career that’s been headlined by injuries the last few seasons.
Rounding out the top-five players on this list is a pair of Duke stars from last decade: Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum. Irving’s Duke career was short-lived. He only appeared in nine college games, but his NBA career has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. As for Tatum, it appears he hasn’t reached his full potential and should be considered an MVP candidate for years to come.
CBS Sports recently ranked the NBA peaks from Kentucky players under John Calipari, Kansas players under Bill Self and Duke players under Mike Krzyzewski. Here are the 25 best NBA peaks from players who came from the programs mentioned.
1. Anthony Davis (Kentucky, 2012)
Davis in recent years has struggled with injuries. He played in only 56 games last season and 40 games the season before but when he’s healthy, he is one of the best players in the world. In his 11-year NBA career, Davis has averaged 24 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks. Davis in his lone season at Kentucky compiled one of the best defensive seasons in NCAA history, and those traits directly carried over to the NBA. After starting his career with the Pelicans, Davis was traded to the Lakers and created a championship-caliber 1-2 punch with LeBron James. He is an eight-time…
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