SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Auburn junior forward/center Johni Broome (Plant City, Fla.) is among the 20-member preseason watch list for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor, in its 10th year, recognizes the top center in men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Broome, a preseason All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection, is the Tigers' top returning scorer (14.2 ppg), rebounder (8.4 rpg) and shot blocker (2.4 bpg). He was joined on the elite list by Oumar Ballo of Arizona, Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton, Kel'el Ware of Indiana, Hunter Dickinson of Kansas, Aaron Bradshaw of Kentucky, Jordan Brown of Memphis, Dawson Garcia of Minnesota, Armando Bacot of North Carolina, Jamarion Sharp of Ole Miss, N'Faly Dante of Oregon, Zach Edey of Purdue, Clifford Omoruyi of Rutgers, Joel Soriano of St. John's, Aday Mara of UCLA, Donovan Clingan of UConn, Josh Cohen of UMass, Branden Carlson of Utah, Eric Dixon of Villanova and Jesse Edwards of West Virginia.
"The centers on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list should feel tremendously proud of all they have accomplished to be associated with one of the greatest players basketball has ever seen," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. "We are honored to have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's perspective when evaluating talent each year, and we encourage the fans to vote alongside Kareem throughout this process."
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting today. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award are Zach Edey, Purdue (2023), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), 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 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #KareemAward on X (formally Twitter) and Instagram.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California-Los Angeles from 1966-1969. 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 (1967-1969). 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 second on the league's all-time scoring list. In 2021, the NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which honors players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and #KareemAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.