May 4, 1965 – Lew Alcindor, the nation's most sought-after high school basketball player, announced his intentions to attend UCLA. Poised and articulate during his first news conference, the 7-foot-3 inch, 18-year-old Power Memorial High senior said he chose the west coast school, "because it has the atmosphere I wanted and because the people out there were very nice to me."
Lew Alcindor played three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1966–69 under coach John Wooden, contributing to the team's three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses.
He was twice named Player of the Year (1967, 1969), was a three-time First Team All-American (1967–69), played on three NCAA basketball champion teams (1967, 1968, 1969), was honored as the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament (1967, 1968, 1969), and became the first-ever Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969.
Lew Alcindor: College Basketball's Greatest Players:
