5 best college basketball players from Minnesota ft. Kevin McHale

The University of Minnesota hasn't been in the spotlight in terms of being a dominant college basketball program over the last few decades. Even with their lack of recent success, there are historic players who have played for Minnesota and had a major impact on college basketball.

In this list, we rank the five best college basketball players from the University of Minnesota, taking into account the success they had at the collegiate and professional level.

Five best college basketball players from Minnesota

#5 Bobby Jackson (1995-1997)

Jackson came out of nowhere for the Golden Gophers, transferring from Western Nebraska Community College after his sophomore year. He moved to Minnesota in 1995, and by his senior year, he was named consensus second-team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year.

He helped lead the Golden Gophers to the Final Four in 1997 as the top seed in the Midwest Region. Minnesota was later forced to vacate this Final Four appearance and Jackson's Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards due to an academic fraud scandal under coach Clem Haskins.

After his career in college basketball, Jackson was the 23rd overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. His NBA career includes 755 total games, All-Rookie honors and the 2002-03 Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Jackson was a bit of a journeyman playing for six different NBA teams in his 13-year career.

#4 Willie Burton (1986-1990)

Willie Burton was a forward who played 118 games for the University of Minnesota and left the Gophers as their second all-time leading scorer with 1,800 career points.

Burton averaged 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds, shooting over 50% from the field in his collegiate career. Minnesota would make a run to the Sweet Sixteen in Burton's junior year and go one step further the next season, making the Elite Eight.

Burton would be named to the All-Big Ten team his senior year in the 1989-90 season and would have his No. 34 retired in the rafters in 2020. He was the ninth overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and went on to play eight seasons with Miami, Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Antonio and Charlotte.

#3 Lou Hudson (1963-1966)

Hudson, nicknamed "Sweet Lou" for his jump shot, played 65 games for the Golden Gophers, averaging 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds.

He dominated college basketball in his junior season, averaging 23.3 points and 10.3 rebounds en route being named an All-American and First Team All-Big Ten. Hudson is the first Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball player to have his jersey number retired, in 1966.

Lou Hudson's senior season nearly came to a disappointing halt, but he didn't let a broken hand slow him down. He broke his dominant right hand but proceeded to end the season shooting left-handed while his right hand was in a cast. Even while only playing with his non-dominant hand, he averaged 19.4 points and 8.1 rebounds.

Lou Hudson was selected fourth overall in the 1966 NBA Draft and went on to have a long, fruitful career at the professional level. He concluded his NBA career after 13 years as a six-time All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.

#2 Mychal Thompson (1974-1978)

Thompson played four seasons at Minnesota, tallying 96 career games. He averaged a double-double with 20.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, shooting an extremely efficient 56.7% from the field.

His most outstanding season was his sophomore year, averaging 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds. Thompson was a two-time consensus All-American and three-time All-Big Ten before having his jersey retired by the Golden Gophers in 1978.

Thompson's success in college basketball at Minnesota led him to be the first overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1978 NBA Draft. He played 12 seasons in the NBA and retired as a two-time NBA champion after playing for the Trail Blazers, Raptors, Spurs and Lakers.

The Thompson name continues to be in the professional sports spotlight to this day. Mychal Thompson's sons, Klay, Mychel and Trayce Thompson, are all professional athletes.

Klay is a four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, while Mychel played in the NBA and NBA G-League from 2011-2017. Trayce Thompson is an outfielder for the New York Mets.

Also Read: Klay Thompson Brothers

#1 Kevin McHale (1976-1980)

Kevin McHale is by far the most recognizable name on this list of best college basketball players from Minnesota.

While his numbers with the Golden Gophers may not be the most impressive on this list, his steady improvement every year as a future Hall of Famer cannot be ignored.

McHale was a hometown player for the Golden Gophers, growing up in Hibbing, MN. He won Minnesota Mr. Basketball in 1976 before attending the University of Minnesota.

McHale played 112 games in four seasons with the Golden Gophers. He averaged 15.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists and shot 55.5% in his college basketball career.

McHale was named to the 1979-80 All-Big Ten team after his senior season as a top two-way player in the nation. He ended his collegiate career ranking second in career points and rebounds in team history.

The Gophers wasted no time in retiring McHale's iconic number 44, immortalizing his name in school history the same year his college basketball career ended in 1980.

McHale would be selected third overall in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He played all 13 professional seasons with the Celtics, appearing in 971 games. His playing career came to an end as a seven-time All-Star, six-time All-Defensive Player of the Year, three-time NBA champion and a Hall of Famer.

After retiring as a player in 1993, McHale returned to the NBA in 2005 as the coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had two tenures as the leader of the Wolves before serving as the coach of the Houston Rockets from 2011-2015.

Also Read: List of National Basketball Association head coaches with 400 games coached