The UCLA men’s basketball program has 10 former players who have helped their respective NBA organizations advance to the upcoming NBA postseason, which starts with various play-in games on Tuesday, April 11.
While 10 teams from each of the Western and Eastern Conferences have qualified for postseason action, two teams from each conference will be eliminated in a series of play-in contests on Tuesday and Wednesday. The bracketed portion of the NBA playoffs will get underway on Saturday, April 15.
Eight NBA playoff-bound teams have a total of 10 former UCLA men’s basketball players on their rosters. Those former UCLA players include Kyle Anderson (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lonzo Ball (Chicago Bulls), Aaron Holiday (Atlanta Hawks), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks), Kevon Looney (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Love (Miami Heat), Norman Powell (Los Angeles Clippers), Peyton Watson (Denver Nuggets) and Russell Westbrook (Los Angeles Clippers).
In all, the UCLA men’s basketball program had 12 former players on NBA rosters during the 2022-23 season. Former players on teams not advancing to postseason competition include Moses Brown (played for the Clippers before being acquired by the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets) and Johnny Juzang (played for the Utah Jazz).
Four former UCLA standouts averaged at least 10 points per game during the NBA’s 2022-23 season. Zach LaVine led that group with 24.8 points per game (77 contests) with Chicago. LaVine led all former UCLA players in minutes per game (35.9), as he shot 48.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range.
Jrue Holiday (19.3 ppg), Norman Powell (17.0 ppg) and Russell Westbrook (15.9 ppg) rounded out that group of four former UCLA players.
With 10 players headed to postseason play, five of those players compete on teams who have bypassed the NBA’s play-in games. Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee) and Peyton Watson (Denver) are on teams seeded No. 1 in their respective conferences – Milwaukee as the No. 1 seed in the East, and Denver as the top seed in the West.
Powell and Westbrook have helped guide the Clippers to the No. 5 seed in the West. Looney played in all 82 games for the No. 6-seeded Golden State Warriors (Western Conference).
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