SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 10 candidates on the Midseason Watch List for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor, in its 11th year, recognizes the top center in Division I men’s college basketball.
Kalkbrenner averages 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots per game for Creighton (17-6, 10-2 BIG EAST). He leads the conference in blocks per game, defensive rebounds per game (6.18) and field goal percentage (.665) and also ranks among the league leaders in scoring (2nd), rebounding (2nd), offensive rebounds per game (4th). The fifth-year senior from Florissant, Mo., ranks second in Creighton history in career points (2,194), blocked shots (366) and field goal percentage (.661). The Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and a Preseason First Team All-American, Kalkbrenner has been named National Player of the Week twice this season. On Wednesday the three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year was named one of 15 players on the 2025 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Kalkbrenner is one of two men to make the final 10 for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award each of the last three years, joining Hunter Dickinson. Kalkbrenner is one of two Creighton players in the 11 seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point, joining Justin Patton in 2016-17. Patton was on the preseason list of 20 and later made the cut down to 10 during his campaign that saw him earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades and become a First Round pick in the NBA Draft. Each of the previous two seasons Kalkbrenner was on the initial list of 20, made the cut down to 10, and was one of five finalists before it was won by Purdue’s Zach Edey.
2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates*
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Asa Newell, Georgia
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Derrick Queen, Maryland
Vladislav Goldin, Michigan
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota
Nate Bittle, Oregon
Oscar Cluff, South Dakota State
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2024-25 season.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting today on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2025 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 & 2024), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), 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 Twitter and Instagram.
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 or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
