By Alexander Gagnon

AAU and basketball have been intertwined for decades now, with a number of the best basketball players of all time proving themselves in AAU leagues over the years. While basketball is one of AAU’s most greatly participated in sports, it was a slow build for basketball players to begin winning the AAU Sullivan Award as the greatest collegiate or Olympic level athlete in the country.
 
Nine basketball players have won the AAU James E. Sullivan Award in the past 93 years. They’ve had a hot hand as of late, with seven winners over the past 25 years. Let’s take a look at these hardwood stars and see what makes them such a talented group of premier athletes.
 
Bill Bradley - Princeton, 36^th Winner, 1965
 

The first basketball player to ever win the AAU Sullivan Award was Bill Bradley in 1965, during his senior season with the Princeton Tigers. He was a star for the Tigers and received multiple college player of the year awards from various media outlets and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1964 and 1965. The 6’5” Bradley would help the U.S. win its sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo games of 1964 and was named NCAA Final Four MVP in 1965.
 
As a pro with the New York Knicks, Bradley helped deliver two NBA championships to the “city that never sleeps” in 1970 and 1973. He was also named an NBA All-Star that 1973 season, averaging over 16 points and 4.5 assists per game. He retired from basketball in 1977 and began a career in politics and writing several books.
 
Notable Finalists: Three-Time Olympic medalist Ralph Boston (Athletics) and Two-Time Olympic medalist and 38^th AAU Sullivan Award Winner Randy Matson (Athletics)
 
Bill Walton – UCLA, 44^th Winner, 1973
 

Walton is both a College Basketball and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee whose success is shown through each level of the game. Walton joined UCLA and the legendary coach John Wooden in 1970. He would help the Bruins go on an 88-game unbeaten streak that lasted through three seasons and would be named National College Player of the Year three times. He won two NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973.
 
Once he made it to the NBA, the accolades didn’t stop. A NBA MVP in 1978 was bookended by two NBA championships in 1977 and 1986. Over the course of his career with the Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Celtics, Walton would win an All-Defensive First Team, Sixth Man of the Year, Season Leader in Blocks, and Season Leader in Rebounds. His #32 was retired by UCLA and the Portland Trail Blazers.
 
Notable Finalists: Olympic gold medalist Dave Wottle (Athletics) and Olympic gold medalist Rod Milburn (Athletics)
 
Chamique Holdsclaw – Tennessee, 69^th Winner, 1998
 

Holdsclaw became the first woman and first Black American basketball player to win the AAU Sullivan Award when she won in 1998. A finalist a year prior when Tennessee classmate Peyton Manning won the award, Holdsclaw was a three-time NCAA champion with the Vols. She was the face of women’s college basketball in the late 90s, winning each of the Naismith Award, AP Player of the Year, and Honda Sports Award in 1998 and 1999. She would also win an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Holdsclaw was named to the list of Naismith’s Players of the Century for the 1990s.
 
The first overall pick of the 1999 WNBA draft, Holdsclaw was an immediate impact player for the Washington Mystics. She won rookie of the year honors and was named a WNBA All-Star for the first of six times in her career. She saw some of her best performances in 2002, winning the WNBA scoring crown and rebounding crown. Her #23 is retired by the University of Tennessee
 
Notable Finalists: College Football Hall of Famer Ricky Williams (Football) and Two-Time World Series Winner Pat Burrell (Baseball)
 
Coco and Kelly Miller – Georgia, 70^th Winner, 1999
 

The pair of twins from Rochester, Minnesota were the first ever co-recipients of the AAU Sullivan Award when both were named winners of the 70^th annual award. Both key members of the team at the University of Georgia, they helped lead the Bulldogs to a Final Four appearance in 1999. Both sisters averaged over 18 points per game that season and were members of the US World University Games team that took silver in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
 
The twins would both be drafted into the WNBA and would play pro from 2001-2012. Incredibly enough, both would also win WNBA Most Improved Player at some point in their career with Coco taking it in 2002 and Kelly in 2004. One of the only major differences in their careers would be Kelly winning a WNBA championship in 2007 with the Phoenix Mercury, while Coco never got a ring.
 
Notable Finalists: NCAA Wrestling Champion and NFL Lineman Stephen Neal (Wrestling/Football) and Three-Time Olympic Medalist Stacey Nuveman-Deniz (Softball)
 
JJ Redick – Duke, 76^th Winner, 2005
 

Redick was the face of the Duke Blue Devils during the early-mid 2000s and was one of the top men’s NCAA basketball players of the time. A two-time consensus first-team All-American, the Blue Devils guard was deadly from behind the arc and at the free throw line. A two-time ACC Player of the Year, he had his #4 retired by Duke in 2007. He still holds several NCAA records for career Free Throw percentage with a minimum of 600 attempts, and FT% in a sophomore season with 95.3%.
 
Redick would go on to have a 15-season career in the NBA, making stops with Orlando, Milwaukee, LAC, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Dallas. He made the playoffs in each of his first 13 seasons in the NBA, and now serves as an analyst and media personality.
 
Notable Finalists: Four-Time WNBA Champion Seimone Augustus (Basketball) and Six-Time Olympic medalist Bode Miller (Skiing)
 
Breanna Stewart – UConn, 86^th Winner, 2015
 

A key member of UConn’s NCAA dominance of the mid-2010’s, Stewart helped the Huskies to four straight National Championships from 2013-16. A four-time tournament MVP and three-time consensus national college player of the year, Stewart was a dominant force on the court in college. She won the AAU Sullivan Award in 2015 along with football player Keenan Reynolds.
 
Once she moved into the professional ranks, her success continued as a two-time WNBA MVP and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in 2020. Stewart is the first of three active players on the list of basketball AAU Sullivan Award winners.
 
Notable Finalists: Seven-Time Olympic medalist and 91^st AAU Sullivan Award winner Simone Biles (Gymnastics) and 2015 Heisman Trophy Winner Derrick Henry (Football).
 
Sabrina Ionescu – Oregon, 90^th Winner, 2019


The current New York Liberty star and multi-time WNBA All-Star has had a great start to her pro career, and already has had a memorable duel with NBA star Steph Curry at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game Three-Point Contest. But before any of that, Ionescu was a collegiate star with the Oregon Ducks.
 
Ionescu is a multi-time Wooden, Lieberman, and Wade winner and was named the Honda Sport, Naismith, AP, and USBWA Player of the Year in 2020. She graduated as the only NCAA player with a career total over at least 2000 points, 1000 assists, and 1000 rebounds. She also was the NCAA All-time leader in career triple doubles. Ionescu was named AAU Sullivan Award co-winner for 2019 alongside Spencer Lee, the wrestler from Iowa.
 
Notable Finalists: World Indoor 60m Hurdles Record Holder Grant Holloway (Athletics) and Five-time World Championship medalist Kyla Ross (Gymnastics)
 
Caitlin Clark – Iowa, 93^rd Winner, 2022


The biggest star in college basketball at the moment has won just about every award there is to win at the collegiate level, as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark added the 93^rd AAU Sullivan Award to her long list of accolades. The all-time NCAA leading scorer, Clark has become a household name.
 
Her accomplishments are an ever-lengthening list, with AP Player of the Year, Wooden Award winner, Naismith College Player of the Year, and three time unanimous first-team All-American being just a short sampling. And she’s not just a one-dimensional player. Not only is she a multi-time NCAA season scoring leader, but also a multi-time NCAA season assist leader. She led the Hawkeyes to a Final Four appearance in 2023 and looks to carry them even further in this year’s event.
 
Notable Finalists: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Winner Dylan Crews (Baseball) and 2023 National College Player of the Year Zach Edey (Basketball)
 
94^th AAU Sullivan Award
The 94^th AAU Sullivan Award Ceremony is just around the corner, as April 23^rd is quickly approaching. Check this link to see the six finalists vying for this year’s honor.