Triple Crown (American basketball)

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In American basketball, the Triple Crown is the achievement of an individual player winning an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal during their career. [1] [2] [3] [4] Eight players have accomplished this feat. [5]

Contents

PlayerNCAA championshipsNBA championshipsOlympic gold medalsRef
Clyde Lovellette Kansas Jayhawks (1952) Minneapolis Lakers (1954)
Boston Celtics (1963, 1964)
Team USA (1952) [6]
Bill Russell San Francisco Dons (1955, 1956) Boston Celtics (1957, 19591966, 1968, 1969) Team USA (1956) [7]
K.C. Jones San Francisco Dons (1955, 1956) Boston Celtics (19591966) Team USA (1956) [7]
Jerry Lucas Ohio State Buckeyes (1960) New York Knicks (1973) Team USA (1960) [7]
Quinn Buckner Indiana Hoosiers (1976) Boston Celtics (1984) Team USA (1976) [7]
Magic Johnson Michigan State Spartans (1979) Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) Team USA (1992) [7]
Michael Jordan North Carolina Tar Heels (1982) Chicago Bulls (19911993, 19961998) Team USA (1984, 1992) [7]
Anthony Davis Kentucky Wildcats (2012) Los Angeles Lakers (2020) Team USA (2012, 2024) [5]

Details

Clyde Lovellette was the first to accomplish the feat, [8] completing it over a two-year span with a college championship and Olympic gold medal in 1952 along with an NBA title in 1953. [6] K.C. Jones and Bill Russell were teammates on championship teams in college (San Francisco Dons), the NBA (Boston Celtics) and the Olympics (United States); Lovellette joined them on the 1963–64 Celtics championship team. [7] Quinn Buckner, Jerry Lucas, and Magic Johnson also won a high school basketball state championship. [9]

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References

  1. Fulton, Bob (1996). The Summer Olympics: A Treasury of Legend and Lore. Diamond Communications. p. 148. ISBN   0912083999.
  2. "The NBA and the Celtics community react to the passing of K.C. Jones". NBC Sports Boston. December 25, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  3. Ever Wonder: Who's won basketball's triple crown? (short video). NBC Sports. March 31, 2017. Event occurs at 0:00–1:16. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  4. Arceri, Mario (January 6, 2015). La leggenda del basket [The Basketball Legend] (in Italian). Baldini & Castoldi. ISBN   9788868656126.
  5. 1 2 Cohn, Jordan (October 11, 2020). "Anthony Davis joins 7 other players to win NBA Finals, NCAA Championship, Olympic gold medal". 106.7 The Fan . Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Al-Khateeb, Zac (March 10, 2016). "Kansas legend Clyde Lovellette dies at 86". Sporting News. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tomizawa, Roy (March 20, 2016). "Which Seven Stars Won the Basketball Trifecta: Championships in the NCAA, NBA and the Olympics". The Olympians. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  8. Brown, Garry (March 25, 2016). "Hockey and football were the games of Junie Fontana's life". The Republican. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  9. Bulpett, Steve (April 20, 2019). "These playoffs Celtics are more familiar to Quinn Buckner". Boston Herald . Indianapolis . Retrieved November 30, 2024.