PJ Hall Named Finalist for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award
Clemson University men’s basketball’s PJ Hall (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman) has been named a Top 5 finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.
The annual Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, named after the Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion, celebrates its 10th year by honoring the top centers in Division I men’s college basketball.
2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Finalists
PJ Hall
Clemson
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Creighton
Hunter Dickinson
Kansas
Armando Bacot
North Carolina
Zach Edey
Purdue
Hall is one of just four players in America averaging 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He has posted 13 20-point games this season and has scored in double-figures 29 times. Hall has totaled seven double-doubles.
Hall is second in the ACC in scoring with 18.8 points per game, while ranking 12th in rebounding (7.0 per game). He is shooting at a very high clip this season, eighth in the league (49.4 percent). Defensively, Hall is third in the ACC blocks per game (1.63) and has 49 blocked shots this season.
Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting today on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
Later this month, the finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees. The Selection Committees for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards are composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2024 Abdul-Jabbar and Leslie Awards will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards (Small Forward), and the Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward).
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are Zach Edey, Purdue (2023), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), 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).