William & Mary senior Nathan Knight was named to the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award watch list, given to the nation’s top collegiate center, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

In his junior year at William & Mary, Knight was one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the top center in Division I.

The Tribe big man scored a career-high 39 points and added 14 rebounds at Hofstra on Feb. 9, which was the most by a W&M player since 1990. He was also the first player in school history to score at least 30 points in three consecutive games.

Averaging 21.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks in 2018-19, Knight joined Tim Duncan as the only other Division I player since1992 to average at least 20.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg 3.0 apg, and 2.0 bpg in a season.

One of the nation's top big men, Nathan Knight (@n8_knight) named to the @Hoophall #KareemAward watch list for the second-straight year.

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Vote Now➡️https://t.co/axDqyYpSOJ#GoTribe #BoldlyPursuingExcellence #OurStateOurTribe pic.twitter.com/oYzw4195Ej

— William & Mary Tribe Men's Basketball (@WMTribeMBB) October 18, 2019

Earlier this month, Knight was recognized as a preseason All-CAA First Team selection. Knight was a First Team All-CAA and All-Defensive Team selection at the end of last season along with earning a place on the Lou Henson All-America Team. Knight enters his senior season as the second-leading active scorer in the CAA with 1,478 career points.

“The final Men’s Starting Five watch list we are revealing is that of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Mr. Abdul-Jabbar is unparalleled when it comes to his accomplishments at both the collegiate and professional level. As an advocate for education and character, he brings an important perspective when evaluating talent and we greatly value his input.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1966-69. He is a three-time NCAA champion who earned numerous accolades including three-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player, three-time National College Player of the Year, and three-time Consensus First-Team All-American (1967-69). As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star, and the league’s all-time leading scorer.

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New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.

Additional awards being presented and receiving support from Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, and the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.

Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016), and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015). 

For more information on the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live today, October 18.

2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates*