What an NBA season that was! As usual, there were surprises along the way and some excellent performances from some of the most talented athletes on the planet. Any fan of a Mountain West school will also have been proud to see yet more alumni taking to the court in the professional game this year.
But it is not a rare sight to see our players making the jump up to the big league. In fact, there have been plenty of athletes that have gone on from Mountain West programs to play in the NBA playoffs – and even at the NBA finals. Just this year, former Utah State Aggies center Neemias Queta shone for the Celtics on their way to the championship series.
It has actually become quite common for Mountain State alumni to go all the way in the last 10 to 15 years. Here are some of the big names in the NBA who became champions after learning their craft on the courts of the Mountain West Conference.
Joel Anthony
After starting his college career at Pensacola Junior College in Florida, Anthony transferred to UNLV and immediately had a major impact. He led the team in blocks in his junior year and was fourth overall in the conference. He was named Mountain West defensive player of the year in his senior year and then signed with the Miami Heat.
Although Anthony also played in Boston, Detroit, and San Antonio at the tail end of his career, it was in Miami where he shone. Timing his stay in Florida with the likes of LeBron and Chris Bosh, Anthony became an integral part of the roster and claimed back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013.
Kawhi Leonard
Joel Anthony actually beat fellow Mountain West alumni Kawhi Leonard in the 2013 NBA finals. But one of the biggest names in today’s game came straight back to win his own ring with the Spurs a year later and repeated the trick with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. He is now considered one of the main reasons why the Clippers could usurp the Lakers in Los Angeles.
One of the best two-way players in the league, Leonard played high school ball in his home state of California before electing to play for the San Diego State Aztecs in the Mountain West. He was named a consensus second-team All-American in his sophomore year before foregoing the final two years. He was initially picked 15th overall by the Pacers before being traded on the night to the Spurs where his successful NBA career began.
Andrew Bogut
Another former NBA player who played in two finals series, Bogut had previously played two years for the Utah Utes, when the school was still in the Mountain West, and then became the first-ever Australian to be the NBA’s first overall pick in the draft when he was taken by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bogut had already won a whole host of MW honors, including player of the year in 2005, and was expected to do well in the NBA. He eventually won a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015 before finishing his career in Dallas, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, as well as back in Sydney, Australia.
Patrick McCaw
A teammate of Kawhi Leonard in the 2019 Toronto Raptors championship-winning side, McCaw already boasted an impressive jewelry collection by then, having won two rings with the Golden State Warriors in his first two years in the NBA. That was quite the start to a professional career for the former Runnin’ Rebel
McCaw had played for UNLV after playing high school basketball in Missouri and Maryland. Although he only played two years in college, he was named second-team All-MWC in 2016, as well as in the All-Defensive team. Still only 28, McCaw has most recently played for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League.
JaVale McGee
Another three-time NBA champion, JaVale McGee also has an Olympic medal to his name after collecting gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games. In fact, McGee won all of those honors in just a four-year period after playing for a number of teams at the beginning of his NBA career.
After growing up in Flint, Michigan, McGee headed west to play college ball for the Nevada Wolfpack. He started as a center for two years in the Mountain West Conference before making himself eligible for the NBA Draft in 2008. He was taken 18th overall by the Washington Wizards but has most recently turned out for the Kings. That latest move matched his mother’s achievement of playing for franchises in Dallas, LA, and Sacramento.