LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 5, 2022) – The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced that Oscar Tshiebwe of the University of Kentucky is the winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s as the most outstanding player in men’s college basketball. The announcement was made during ESPN SportsCenter.

Tshiebwe, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the first African born winner.  He is also the second winner from the University of Kentucky (Anthony Davis, 2012).  While leading the country in total rebounds (515) and rebounds per game (15.1), Tshiebwe tallied the most rebounds in a season since 1973 and the highest per game average since 1980.

Voting took place from March 14-21, 2022, by a national collection of voters who cover the sport and former winners.  As insisted upon by Coach Wooden at the Award’s creation in 1975, all players considered for the ballot were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the academic criteria of the John R. Wooden Award.

Oscar Tshiebwe joins Coach Rick Byrd, the Wooden Award Legend of Coaching recipient, and Aliyah Boston, the Wooden Award honoree for women’s basketball, as the celebrated winners of the nation’s most prestigious collegiate basketball awards.  They will be joined by their coaches and the Wooden Award All American team at the trophy presentation on Friday, April 8, 2022 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

About the John R. Wooden Award

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college
basketball recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All American Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Durant (’07), Candace Parker (’07; ’08), Maya Moore (’09; ’11), Chiney Ogwumike (’14), Breanna Stewart (’15 and ’16) and last year’s recipients, Paige Bueckers of Connecticut and Luka Garza of Iowa.

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.

For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.

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John R. Wooden Award

Presented by Wendy’s

Men’s Player of the Year

John R. Wooden Award, John R. Wooden Award All American Team, Wooden Award All American Team, Wooden Watch, Wooden Award and the player silhouettes are trademarks or registered trademarks of LAACO, Ltd.  Wendy’s is a registered trademark of Wendy’s International, LLC.  Used with permission.