The 2024-25 Men’s National Ballot

The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced its 2025 Men’s National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Principal® today on ESPN College GameDay. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the National Ballot consists of 15 student-athletes who are candidates for the Wooden Award All-America Team and Wooden Award Trophy, recognizing the Most Outstanding College Basketball Player in the United States.

The Wooden Award Men’s Ballot includes four graduate students, one fifth-year senior, six seniors, one junior, one sophomore, and two freshmen. No players from the 2024 Wooden Award All-America Team are featured on the 2025 ballot. Tennessee is the only school with multiple players represented, with Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler earning spots on the National Ballot.

The John R. Wooden Award is presented annually to the most outstanding player in collegiate basketball. Established in 1976 by John Wooden and the Wooden Award National Steering Committee, the award evaluates candidates not only on their skills in passing, shooting, dribbling, defending, and rebounding but also on their overall contributions to their teams.

All players on the ballot have been certified by their respective universities as meeting or exceeding the qualifications set forth by Coach Wooden when the award was established. These qualifications include:

• Candidates must be full-time students at an accredited NCAA college or university.
• Candidates must be making progress toward graduation and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 since enrolling.
• Candidates must contribute significantly to their team’s success.
• Candidates must excel in both offensive and defensive aspects of the game.
• Candidates must be evaluated based on their performance over the entire season.
• Candidates must demonstrate strength of character, both on and off the court.

Voting will take place from March 10 to March 24, with voters considering a player’s entire season, including the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The finalists for the 2025 Wooden Award presented by Principal® will be announced on April 1 on ESPN.

About the John R. Wooden Award®

Established in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award ProgramTM represents the highest honor in college basketball. The program recognizes the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player for both men and women, the Wooden Award All-AmericaTM Teams, and annually selects the Wooden Award® Legend of Coaching recipient.

Wooden Award® All-Americans meet the rigorous academic and athletic standards set by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award® Steering Committee, including maintaining progress toward graduation with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.

Past recipients of the award include basketball legends such as Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Durant (’07), Candace Parker (’07, ’08), Maya Moore (’09, ’11), Breanna Stewart (’15, ’16), and the most recent winners, Caitlin Clark of Iowa (’23, ’24) and Zach Edey of Purdue (’23, ’24). Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award® has contributed nearly one million dollars in charitable donations on behalf of its All-America recipients and has provided over 1,000 underprivileged children with scholarships to attend week-long college basketball camps.

Wooden Award All-Americans are invited to celebrate their personal charitable efforts, with the John R. Wooden Award Foundation making charitable contributions in support of their character and leadership. Additionally, the Wooden Award® partners annually with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) to host the Wooden Award® Special Olympics Basketball Day, bringing together Special Olympics athletes, Wooden Award® All-Americans, and coaches during Wooden Award® Weekend at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

The 2025 Wooden Award® Legends of Coaching honoree is Mark Few of Gonzaga, who will receive his award alongside the 2025 Wooden Award® Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year on April 11, 2025. For the latest updates, visit www.WoodenAward.com and follow the Wooden Award® on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and on Twitter and Instagram at @WoodenAward. For more information about Principal Financial Group and its sponsorship activities, visit their Sports Partnerships and Sponsorships page. To learn more about the Los Angeles Athletic Club, visit www.LAAC.com.