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Basketball in the United States of America follows a certain tradition of progression, with players who impress in high school scouted by the best colleges in the country for their teams.
A few big names have bucked this trend, with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James being ones who have had a standout career in the modern era, after declaring for the draft straight out of high school.
However, most players go through a college curriculum, with the option to declare for the draft after each year of their program. Playing for their college puts the youngsters through a proper regimen, and with the amount of coverage given to college basketball, it really sets them up for what they would face in the NBA.
Some colleges have established extremely competent basketball programs, with many of the NBA's legendary players having done their education specifically at certain colleges.
Here's a look at the top five colleges that helped provide some of the greatest players ever to have played in the NBA:
Honourable mention: Duke - One of the NCAA powerhouses, Duke have provided the NBA with a lot of players, thanks to their incredibly structured and well-run program. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has been at the helm of the program since 1980 and has seen players like Grant Hill, Kyrie Irving, Elton Brand, and Corey Maggette come through the program during his time.
#5 University of Kansas
Wilt "The Big Dipper" Chamberlain is the most famous NBA player to have come out of the University of Kansas, and dominated the association during his time.
A two-time NBA champion, Chamberlain was one of the most dominant players in history, averaging 30 PPG and 22 RPG, a historic number.
The college also helped develop guys like Bill Bridges and Jo Jo White, ensuring they made a lasting impact on the NBA.
In recent history, the best player to have performed in the NBA from Kansas was Paul Pierce, who won the championship with Boston Celtics in 2008.
Of the current players in the league, some of the better ones to come through the Kansas program are the Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins.
#4 Georgetown University
Armed with a basketball program that has an established reputation for helping develop great big men who can cut it in the NBA, Georgetown University has provided some incredible players to the association.
New York Knicks' Patrick Ewing is one of their most famous alumni, establishing himself as one of the greatest centres in NBA history, making himself a defensive force and becoming an 11-time All-Star.
Two other legendary big men to come out of Georgetown are Alonzo Mourning, who spent most of his career with the Miami Heat, and Dikembe Mutombo, who is one of the greatest shot blockers of all time and won the Defensive Player of the Year award four times.
Contrary to their reputation of developing great big men, the college based out of Washington D.C. is also the alma mater of one of the all-time great guards in the NBA, Allen Iverson.
#3 University of Kentucky
One of the behemoths in the college basketball program, the University of Kentucky constantly hones and nurtures some of the best talent in the country.
They have helped send a lot of incredibly talented athletes to the NBA in the recent past, with some of their biggest alumni including New Orleans Pelicans' twin towers, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, and Washington Wizards' point guard, John Wall.
Mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo is also a proud Wildcat and has been openly appreciative of the education he got during his time there. The 2017 draft saw three players selected in the first round, with DeAaron Fox going to Sacramento Kings, Malik Monk going to Charlotte Hornets and Bam Adebayo joining the Miami Heat.
There are also some stellar players from the 90s and early 2000s to have gone through the program, namely Jamal Mashburn and Antoine Walker.
The legendary Pat Riley also studied at Kentucky, and went on to win one NBA Championship as a player, before becoming an even better coach, winning five Championship rings.
#2 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Situated in the City of Angels in sunny California, UCLA has helped develop a lot of the NBA stars whose play helped shape the league's evolution.
The biggest star to come out of the University of California in Los Angeles is all-time leading scorer and legendary centre Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won six NBA Championships as a player, one with the Milwaukee Bucks and the remaining five with the Los Angeles Lakers.
One of the greatest shooters in the sport's history, Reggie Miller is also a proud Bruin and spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers.
Current Lakers coach Luke Walton's father, the great Bill Walton, is also a distinguished alumnus of the college and had a successful career with the Portland TrailBlazers and Boston Celtics, winning two Championships.
The NBA currently has some very distinguished UCLA alumni, including the 2016/17 regular season MVP, Russell Westbrook and 2015/16 NBA champion, Kevin Love. Lonzo Ball, the second pick in the 2017 draft, is also a former Bruin.
#1 University of North Carolina
UNC has produced some incredible NBA players in the last few decades and the college's storied program continues to run strong.
From legendary Lakers Bob McAdoo and James Worthy to Inside the NBA panelist Kenny "The Jet" Smith to modern-day stars like Vince Carter and Rasheed Wallace, North Carolina has seen many greats pass through its halls.
Having provided 62 NBA players, the program has been consistently developing some of the best talents to play in the association. Despite Kentucky and UCLA producing more NBA players, we have ranked UNC at the top and there is only one reason behind that decision.
That reason is called Michael Jordan. Yes, the greatest basketball player ever came through the rigorous UNC program before being drafted with the number 2 pick by Chicago Bulls in the 1984 draft.
A 6-time NBA champion, Jordan won his titles with Chicago in two different spells and finally retired from the game in 2003.
