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]
| Player | NCAA championships | NBA championships | Olympic gold medals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, 1959–1966, 1968, 1969) | Team USA (1956) | [7] |
| K.C. Jones | San Francisco Dons (1955, 1956) | Boston Celtics (1959–1966) | 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 (1991–1993, 1996–1998) | Team USA (1984, 1992) | [7] |
| Anthony Davis | Kentucky Wildcats (2012) | Los Angeles Lakers (2020) | Team USA (2012, 2024) | [5] |
Details
editClyde 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]
References
edit- ^ Fulton, Bob (1996). The Summer Olympics: A Treasury of Legend and Lore. Diamond Communications. p. 148. ISBN 0912083999.
- ^ "The NBA and the Celtics community react to the passing of K.C. Jones". NBC Sports Boston. December 25, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Arceri, Mario (January 6, 2015). La leggenda del basket [The Basketball Legend] (in Italian). Baldini & Castoldi. ISBN 9788868656126.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Al-Khateeb, Zac (March 10, 2016). "Kansas legend Clyde Lovellette dies at 86". Sporting News. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g 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.
- ^ Brown, Garry (March 25, 2016). "Hockey and football were the games of Junie Fontana's life". The Republican. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Bulpett, Steve (April 20, 2019). "These playoffs Celtics are more familiar to Quinn Buckner". Boston Herald. Indianapolis. Retrieved November 30, 2024.