Walker Kessler one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award
AUBURN – Auburn sophomore center Walker Kessler (Newnan, Ga.) is one of five finalists for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men’s college basketball.
Walker Kessler is joined on the list by Adama Sanogo of Connecticut, Drew Timme of Gonzaga, Kofi Cockburn of Illinois and Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky.
Kessler currently leads the nation and SEC in blocked shots (4.6 bpg) and is Auburn’s single-season record holder in blocked shots (138). Kessler is also averaging 11.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season with two triple-double performances. He is also a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.
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“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is widely regarded as the best college basketball player of all time,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “To be acknowledged as a finalist for an award that bears his name is a phenomenal achievement and these student athletes should be celebrated. As a player, person and talent evaluator, Kareem has always operated at an elite level and we are grateful for his continued involvement in the Naismith Starting Five.”
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in late January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on today, March 4 on hoophallawards.com. You can vote for Kessler at the link provided.
“This is a tremendous crop of student-athletes that are each deserving of winning this award,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1995. “It’ll be a lot of fun to watch these young men play their hardest when the stakes at their highest as we come into the home stretch of the season.”
The winner of the 2022 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 Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include two-time winner 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).
