AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn senior forward Keyshawn Hall has been named to the 2026 Karl Malone Award preseason watch list, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday.
The annual Karl Malone Award, named after the Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 12th year by recognizing the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. Former Auburn great Johni Broome became the school’s first winner of the award last season.
In his first year at Auburn, Hall led the Big 12 in scoring last season while at UCF, averaging 18.8 points along with 7.1 rebounds per game. The Cleveland, Ohio, native was an All-Big 12 second team member and NABC second team All-District member as a junior.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 31. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Bob Cousy Awards will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five.
In March, the five finalists will be presented to Cousy, and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Bob Cousy Award are composed of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2026 Malone Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other 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 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center).
Auburn will play against Memphis is the Bad Boy Lawn Mowers Series exhibition at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the game are available for purchase here.
The Tigers will open regular season action on November 3 at 7 p.m. CT versus Bethune-Cookman at Neville Arena.