Triple Crown (American basketball)
Championship accomplishment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In American men's basketball, the Triple Crown is the achievement of an individual player winning an NCAA championship, NBA championship, and Olympic gold medal during his career.[1][2][3][4] Eight players have accomplished this feat:[5]
| Player | NCAA championships | NBA championships | Olympic gold medals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clyde Lovellette | Kansas Jayhawks (1952) | Minneapolis Lakers (1954) Boston Celtics (1963, 1964) |
Team USA (1952) | [6] |
| Bill Russell | San Francisco Dons (1955, 1956) | Boston Celtics (1957, 1959–1966, 1968, 1969) | Team USA (1956) | [7] |
| K.C. Jones | San Francisco Dons (1955, 1956) | Boston Celtics (1959–1966) | Team USA (1956) | [7] |
| Jerry Lucas | Ohio State Buckeyes (1960) | New York Knicks (1973) | Team USA (1960) | [7] |
| Quinn Buckner | Indiana Hoosiers (1976) | Boston Celtics (1984) | Team USA (1976) | [7] |
| Magic Johnson | Michigan State Spartans (1979) | Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) | Team USA (1992) | [7] |
| Michael Jordan | North Carolina Tar Heels (1982) | Chicago Bulls (1991–1993, 1996–1998) | Team USA (1984, 1992) | [7] |
| Anthony Davis | Kentucky Wildcats (2012) | Los Angeles Lakers (2020) | Team USA (2012, 2024) | [5] |
Details
Clyde Lovellette was the first Triple Crown winner,[8] completing the trifecta over a two-year span with a college championship and Olympic gold medal in 1952 followed by an NBA title in 1954.[6] K.C. Jones and Bill Russell were teammates on championship teams in college (San Francisco Dons), the NBA (Boston Celtics) and the Olympics (Team USA) and they are the only ones who also won championships as a head coach; Lovellette joined them on the 1963–64 Celtics title-winning squad.[7] Quinn Buckner, Jerry Lucas, and Magic Johnson also won a high school basketball state championship.[9]