| Year | Player | College | Position | Class | Award |
| 1947 | Gerald Tucker | Oklahoma | C | Senior | Helms |
| 1948 | Ed Macauley | Saint Louis | C | Junior | Helms |
| 1949 | Tony Lavelli | Yale | F | Senior | Helms |
| 1950 | Paul Arizin | Villanova | F | Senior | Helms |
| 1951 | Dick Groat | Duke | G | Junior | Helms |
| 1952 | Clyde Lovellette | Kansas | F / C | Senior | Helms |
| 1953 | Bob Houbregs | Washington | C | Senior | Helms |
| 1954 | Tom Gola | La Salle | G / F | Senior | Helms |
| 1955 | Bill Russell | San Francisco | C | Junior | Helms |
| 1956 | Bill Russell | San Francisco | C | Senior | Helms |
| 1957 | Lennie Rosenbluth | North Carolina | F | Senior | Helms |
| 1958 | Elgin Baylor | Seattle | F / C | Junior | Helms |
| 1959 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | G | Junior | Helms |
| 1960 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | G | Senior | Helms |
| 1961 | Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | F / C | Junior | Helms |
| 1962 | Paul Hogue | Cincinnati | C | Senior | Helms |
| 1963 | Art Heyman | Duke | G | Senior | Helms |
| 1964 | Walt Hazzard | UCLA | G | Senior | Helms |
| 1965 | Bill Bradley | Princeton | G / F | Senior | Helms |
| 1966 | Gail Goodrich | UCLA | G | Senior | Helms |
| 1967 | Cazzie Russell | Michigan | G / F | Senior | Helms |
| 1968 | Lew Alcindor | UCLA | C | Sophomore | Helms |
| 1969 | Lew Alcindor | UCLA | C | Senior |
Helms |
| 1970 | Pete Maravich | LSU | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1970 | Sidney Wicks | UCLA | C | Junior | Helms |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Notre Dame | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1971 | Sidney Wicks | UCLA | F/C | Senior | Helms |
| 1972 | Bill Walton | UCLA | C | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 1973 | Bill Walton | UCLA | C | Junior |
Naismith |
| 1974 | Bill Walton | UCLA | C | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1974 | David Thompson | North Carolina State | G | Junior | Helms |
| 1975 | David Thompson | N.C. State | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1976 | Scott May | Indiana | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1976 | Kent Benson | Indiana | C | Junior | Helms |
| 1977 | Marques Johnson | UCLA | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1978 | Butch Lee | Marquette | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1978 | Jack Givens | Kentucky | G / F | Senior | Helms |
| 1978 | Phil Ford | North Carolina | G | Senior | Wooden |
| 1979 | Larry Bird | Indiana State | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1980 | Mark Aguirre | DePaul | F | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 1980 | Darrell Griffith | Louisville | G | Senior | Helms |
| 1981 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia | C | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 1981 | Mark Aguirre | DePaul | F | Sophomore | Helms |
| 1981 | Danny Ainge | BYU | G | Senior | Wooden |
| 1982 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia | C | Junior |
Naismith |
| 1982 | James Worthy | North Carolina | F | Junior | Helms |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia | C | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1983 | Akeem Olajuwon | Houston | C | Sophomore | Helms |
| 1984 | Michael Jordan | North Carolina | G | Junior |
Naismith |
| 1985 | Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | C | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1985 | Chris Mullin | St. John's | SF | Senior | Wooden |
| 1986 | Johnny Dawkins | Duke | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1986 | Walter Berry | St. John's | PF | Senior | Wooden |
| 1987 | David Robinson | Navy | C | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Kansas | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1989 | Danny Ferry | Duke | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1989 | Sean Elliott | Arizona | SF | Senior | Wooden |
| 1990 | Lionel Simmons | La Salle | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1991 | Larry Johnson | UNLV | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1992 | Christian Laettner | Duke | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1993 | Calbert Cheaney | Indiana | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1994 | Glenn Robinson | Purdue | F | Junior |
Naismith |
| 1995 | Joe Smith | Maryland | F | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 1995 | Ed O'Bannon | UCLA | F | Senior | Wooden |
| 1996 | Marcus Camby | Massachusetts | C | Junior |
Naismith |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | C | Senior |
Naismith |
| 1998 | Antawn Jamison | North Carolina | F | Junior |
Naismith |
| 1999 | Elton Brand | Duke | F | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 2000 | Kenyon Martin | Cincinnati | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2001 | Shane Battier | Duke | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2002 | Jason Williams | Duke | G | Junior |
Naismith |
| 2003 | T.J. Ford | Texas | G | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 2004 | Jameer Nelson | Saint Joseph's | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2005 | Andrew Bogut | Utah | C | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 2006 | J.J. Redick | Duke | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2007 | Kevin Durant | Texas | F | Freshman |
Naismith |
| 2008 | Tyler Hansbrough | North Carolina | F | Junior |
Naismith |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | Oklahoma | F | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 2010 | Evan Turner | Ohio State | G | Junior |
Naismith |
| 2011 | Jimmer Fredette | Brigham Young | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky | C | Freshman |
Naismith |
| 2013 | Trey Burke | Michigan | G | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 2014 | Doug McDermott | Creighton | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2015 | Frank Kaminsky | Wisconsin | F | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2016 | Buddy Hield | Oklahoma | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2017 | Frank Mason III | Kansas | G | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2018 | Jalen Brunson | Villanova | G | Junior |
Naismith |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson | Duke | F | Freshman |
Naismith |
| 2020 | Obi Toppin | Dayton | F | Sophomore |
Naismith |
| 2021 | Luka Garza | Iowa | C | Senior |
Naismith |
| 2022 | Oscar Tshiebwe | Kentucky | F | Junior |
Naismith |
|
|
NCAA Player of the Year
- Details
- Written by Matthew Maurer