The NBA play-offs are in full swing, and the best basketball teams in the world are competing for a chance at basketball immortality, capturing an NBA championship. UVA alumnus are no different; plenty of former UVA ballers have captured rings in the past, some very recently.
The NBA Finals don’t have any former UVA stars participating this year, but they’re still set to be fascinating for neutrals. For example, Action Network can help you get to grips with Crypto.com’s prediction markets if you want to try trading contracts on the NBA Finals.
Let’s look back at the UVA players who won themselves an NBA ring in the past, and how they did it.
6 NBA championship winners that played UVA basketball
Wally Walker (Portland Trailblazers- 1977/Seattle SuperSonics- 1979)
Wally Walker helped UVA to their first ever ACC Championship, and led the team to their first ever NCAA tournament, having his jersey retired by UVA. He ended up being drafted 5th overall by the Portland Trailblazers in 1976 after four years with the Cavaliers.
He’s arguably the most successful alumni of UVA: he won two NBA titles, both as a role player getting regular minutes, the first for Portland in 1977 and the second for the Seattle Supersonics in 1979.
Marc Iavaroni (Philadelphia 76ers- 1983)
An unsung hero of the 76ers’ title run in 1983, Iavaroni played at UVA between 1974 and 1978, before struggling to gain a foothold in professional basketball for years. He was cut by multiple teams, and even spent time overseas, before finally debuting with the Sixers in 1982.
He ended up starting all 13 playoff games for the Sixers that year, alongside Dr. J and Moses Malone. He ended up being central to the team winning the Sixer’s most recent title.
Rick Carlisle (Boston Celtics- 1986)
A name that might be known more for his coaching career than his playing career, but Carlisle had a genuine college career, playing three years for the Cavaliers and leading them to the Final Four.
His NBA career was brief, but he was part of the Boston Celtics team that captured a ring in 1986, led by Larry Bird. He also added a ring to his collection as a coach, winning the title as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
Jeff Lamp (Los Angeles Lakers- 1987)
Another one of the greats of UVA history, Lamp is the reason jersey #3 hangs in the rafters, after he helped lead the team to the Final Four for the first time. He was drafted 15th overall by Portland, but won his ring with the Los Angeles Lakers as a fringe player in 1987, a team led by Kareem and Magic Johnson.
Mamadi Diakite (Milwaukee Bucks- 2021)
Famous among UVA fans for hitting the buzzer-beating shot to force overtime against Purdue in the 2019 Elite Eight, the game that put Virginia on the road to their national championship.
He went undrafted in the NBA in 2020, but signed with the Bucks, and was under contract with them when they won the title, despite playing a minor role, averaging less than 10 minutes a game. Diakite will be remembered for being the first player in history to win the NCAA Championship, the G League championship and an NBA championship.
Sam Hauser (Boston Celtics- 2024)
Hauser played a single season at UVA in 2021 before transferring to Marquette. He went undrafted in the NBA and fought his way through the G league, and ended up carving out a decent role for himself with the Boston Celtics.
Hauser arguably had the most impactful Finals performance of an UVA alumnus, averaging 15.4 minutes and 8.2 points per game on 47.8% shooting from three, and accumulating the highest plus-minus on the team across the series at +17.
This content is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. AFP editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
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