From “Pistol Pete” to Shaquille O’Neal, the LSU Tigers men’s basketball program has produced some of the biggest names in the history of college basketball. The program has also had a lot of success over the years, which includes SEC regular season titles, NCAA Tournament appearances, and several Final Four runs.
Here is our list of the 10 best LSU Tigers men’s basketball players of all time.
10. Garrett Temple, small forward/shooting guard
Garrett Temple wasn’t much of a scorer but he was a defensive stopper for the Tigers. For his great defensive play in 2009, he made the SEC’s All-Defensive Team and was named to the SEC’s All-Conference second team. That season, he averaged 7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He is also atop the school records for number of minutes played (4,432 minutes).
9. Tyrus Thomas, power forward/center
Tyrus Thomas was a defensive specialist for LSU in the early 2000s. Thomas was Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was also named Freshman of the Year and to the All-SEC’s second team. He was an excellent shot-blocker and, in 2006, averaged 12.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks in 32 games while shooting over 60 percent from the field. Thomas was also recognized as the NCAA Atlanta Region MVP in the NCAA Tournament after combining for 30 points against Duke and Texas.
8. Brandon Bass, power forward
The 2005 season was a great year for Brandon Bass. He was named SEC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. As a freshman, he averaged 12.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 34.9 minutes per game. In his sophomore season, Bass played and started in 30 games, averaging 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 33.6 minutes per game. That garnered him even more honors as he was named to the SEC’s All-Tournament Team and first-team All-SEC. Bass would declare for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season but he left the school averaging 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game across the two years.
7. Glen “Big Baby” Davis, center/power forward
Glen Davis’s nickname may be “Big Baby” but he didn’t play like one. Most of the time he was a man among boys. In 2006, he was named SEC Player of the Year and SEC Rookie of the Year. He was also a third-team All-American. Davis led his school to their first Final Four since 1986. He left the school averaging almost 17 points and 10 rebounds per game but he will always be remembered for that magical tourney run.
6. Ben Simmons, point guard power forward
Who would have thought an Aussie would have such a huge impact on LSU basketball? That’s what Ben Simmons did. Simmons started high school in Australia but moved to Florida and eventually ended up in Baton Rouge to play for the Tigers. In his short time there, he was named Freshman of the Year and was an All-American. He also made the SEC’s All-Conference team. That season, Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He declared for the NBA after LSU didn’t make the NCAA Tournament and his pro career has been “something” for sure.
5. Rudy Macklin, small forward/shooting guard
Rudy Maclin was a star guard for the Tigers in the late 1970s and early 1989s. In his first game in a Tigers uniform, he grabbed an amazing 32 rebounds. Yes, you read that correctly. Injuries would hamper him the rest of the year but he would bounce back as a sophomore to be an All-American in 1980 and again in 1981. As a senior, he was named the SEC Player of the Year and led LSU to the Final Four. He graduated as LSU’s all-time leading rebounder (1,276) and second-all-time leading scorer (2,080).
4. Bob Pettit, power forward/center
Bob Pettit was one of LSU’s first All-Americans, named one in both 1953 and 1954. He also was a three-time All-SEC selection. During his three years with the team, he averaged nearly 28 points per game and later became a huge star in the NBA. He is a member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
3. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, shooting guard
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (formerly known as Chris Jackson) was one of the best guards to ever put on a Tigers uniform. Rauf was a threat every time he got that ball, and if he got hot, it was lights out for the other team. He once scored 48 points against Louisana Tech and scored a career-high 55 points against Ole Miss. He reminded many of another LSU great on this list, Pistol Pete Maravich. In his freshman year, he set an NCAA record in points (965) while averaging 30 points per game. He was named an All-American and SEC Player of the Year twice in his college career. He was also named National Freshman of the Year by the USWBA in 1989. He would end his college career averaging 29 points per game and the school retired his jersey.
2. Shaquille O’Neal, center
Some people may be surprised that Shaq is not number one on this list, but once you see who is No. 1, it will be hard to argue. Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant centers to ever come out of college. Like several other players on this list, he was a two-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year. He led the NCAA in rebounding in 1991 and blocks in 1992. Shaq averaged a double-double in his college career, at nearly 22 points and 14 rebounds per game. His NBA career was pretty impressive as well. LSU retired his jersey and O’Neal is a member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
1. “Pistol” Pete Maravich, shooting guard
Pistol Pete Maravich is not only one of the greatest players to wear an LSU Tigers uniform but he was one of the best college basketball players ever. Maravich was a scoring machine for the Tigers, putting up big numbers throughout his college career, even before the three-point line was added. Maravich was two-time national player of the year, three-time SEC Player of the Year, three-time All-American, three-time NCAA scoring champ, and is the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. Maravich put some amazing numbers in his college career that haven’t been duplicated since. Maravich scored 3,667 points while averaging 43.8, 44.2, and 44.5 points per game in each season. He did all of this while not being able to play as a freshman. They say that had he played with a three-point line, he might have averaged 60 points per game.
