Top 5 Villanova players in the NBA with a national title ft. Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and more
In their team's history, the Villanova Wildcats have won three NCAA titles, two of which have come in the past 10 years. Numerous players who went on to become well known in the NBA were on the teams that brought titles to the program.
There are currently 11 former Villanova Wildcats on NBA rosters, and six of those have won an NCAA title. Here's a look at the top five Villanova players in the league who won a national title.
Top 5 Villanova players in the NBA with a national title
#5, Collin Gillespie, Denver Nuggets
Collin Gillespie won a national title as a freshman with Villanova before spending five total seasons with the Wildcats. He appeared in 32 games with one start during the team's title run, averaging 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
Gillespie went on to have an outstanding career at Villanova, becoming a two-time Big East Player of the Year (2021 and 2022) and taking home the Bob Cousy Award in 2022 as well.
He went undrafted in 2022 but signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. Although he missed the entirety of the 2022–23 season, he was a member of the Nuggets when the team won the NBA Finals, giving him an NCAA and NBA title.
He returned to play in 24 games for the Nuggets last season, averaging 3.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg and 1.1 apg in his second NBA season.
#4, Donte DiVincenzo, New York Knicks
Donte DiVincenzo is a two-time NCAA champion who played three seasons at Villanova.
DiVincenzo won his first NCAA title during the 2015–16 season as a freshman. He appeared in nine games and earned one start, but his season was cut short due to a fractured fifth metatarsal bone.
In his third season with the Wildcats, he played in all 40 games, made 10 starts, and averaged 13.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.1 steals per game. In 2018, DiVincenzo won the Most Outstanding Player award from the NCAA Final Four, and the Wildcats won their third championship.
He elected to enter the 2018 NBA draft and was selected with the 17th pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. He won the 2021 NBA Finals with the Bucks before playing with the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and currently the New York Knicks.
#3, Josh Hart, New York Knicks
Josh Hart played four seasons at Villanova, from 2013 to 2017, appearing in 146 games. He was a key contributor on the Wildcats team that took home the NCAA title during the 2015–2016 season, averaging 15.5 ppg, 6.8 apg and 1.2 spg.
Hart became the Big East Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American during his senior season and had his No. 3 jersey retired by Villanova in 2022.
He was drafted with the 30th pick in 2017 by the Utah Jazz but was immediately traded to the LA Lakers on draft night. He spent two seasons with the Lakers before bouncing from New Orleans and Portland and finally landing with his current team, the New York Knicks, during the 2022–23 season.
#2, Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks
Mikal Bridges is a two-time NCAA champion, taking home the title twice during his three seasons at Villanova. He won his first title as a freshman, appearing in all 40 games off the bench and averaging 6.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 1.1 spg.
He played a much larger role in the team's third title run during the 2017–2018 season, starting in all 40 games and posting 17.7 ppg. Bridges also won the Julius Erving Award, given to the top small forward in men's college basketball.
He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 10th pick in the 2018 NBA draft but was immediately traded to the Phoenix Suns. Bridges played five seasons in Phoenix and was named to the NBA's All-Defensive team in 2022.
He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets early in 2023 before being traded to the Knicks in June 2024 to join with other former Villanova Wildcats Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
#1 Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Like Bridges, Jalen Brunson played three seasons at Villanova and took home two NCAA titles. Brunson started in 115 of the 116 games he appeared in for the Wildcats. His only missed start came during his freshman season, when he averaged 9.6 points and 2.5 assists while helping the Wildcats take home the national title.
During the second title run, he averaged an outstanding 18.9 points per game with 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He was a consensus All-American that season and was named the AP Player of the Year.
Brunson was selected with the third pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He spent four seasons in Dallas before being traded to the New York Knicks in 2022. He earned his first all-star selection this past season while also being named second-team All-NBA.
Which former Villanova Wildcat do you think is the best in the NBA right now? Let us know in the comment section.