Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and other notable college-NBA teammates

It was nearly 14 years ago when LeBron James famously announced his decision to join the Miami Heat and “take his talents” to South Beach. James teamed up with fellow NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form what was eventually coined “The Big Three.”

While there have been plenty of “Big Threes” to team up in the NBA since that time, and even prior to that (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish in Boston, anyone?), that Heat trio will always be thought of when that term is used in a basketball reference.

While there might not be a trio in today’s NBA that has quite the list of accolades that James, Bosh and Wade had at the time they joined forces, there is a threesome out in New York that is making some big noise in this year’s NBA playoffs. The Knicks‘ trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo helped lead New York to a memorable first-round series victory over Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, and now hold a 1-0 series lead over the Indiana Pacers heading into Game 2 Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

While Brunson is the straw that stirs the drink for the Knicks, he has received plenty of assistance from Hart and DiVincenzo, who have each stuffed the stat sheet throughout the Knicks’ first seven games of this year’s postseason. In fact, together, the trio have combined for more than 62% of the team’s offseason scoring production this postseason. Brunson leads the Knicks in both scoring (36.6 points) and assists (8.6), while Hart leads the team in rebounding (12.4), and DiVincenzo in 3-pointers made (19).

But there is something unique about the Knicks’ “Big Three” that is quite uncommon in today’s NBA world: Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo all played together in college, at Villanova. In fact, Brunson and DiVincenzo were in the same 2015 recruiting class and were roommates at Villanova during their freshman year. The two teamed up with Hart and helped lead the Wildcats to a national championship in 2016 — the school’s second-ever national title and first since 1985.

In 2017, Hart moved on to become a first-round pick by the Utah Jazz (30th overall), while Brunson and DiVincenzo chose to return to school. The duo led the Wildcats to a dominant 36-4 record and another national championship in 2018.

While the thought of three college teammates joining forces in the NBA seems quite improbable, it has actually happened before.

Here is a look at some other notable NBA trios who played together in college:

Boston Celtics: Walter…