Throughout the history of the NCAA Tournament, there have been many great overall tournament performances by players who went on to have a great career in the NBA. Arguably the best ever overall tournament performance comes from Danny Manning in 1988 for Kansas.

During the championship run for the Jayhawks, Manning would average an outstanding 27.2 points per game to go with 9.3 rebounds. In the championship game against Oklahoma, Manning would score 31 points and pull down 18 rebounds in the winning effort.

This particular article takes a look at the best ever overall tournament performances of players who are still in the NBA today. The list of five includes some veterans who played in the NCAA Tournament 15 years ago; while the list also includes some younger stars who played in the tournament in 2012.

#5 Dwyane Wade (Marquette - 2003)

It’s hard to believe it was 15 years since Dwyane Wade led the 3-seed Marquette Golden Eagles to their third Final Four in school history, and it was the last time that Marquette reached this far in the tournament.

Wade averaged 21.8 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, and 6.0 assists during the entire tournament. His best performance was when they beat top-seed Kentucky as Wade had a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Unfortunately for Marquette, they were trounced in the national semi-final by Kansas 94-61.

In the NBA, Wade is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer. He’s won three NBA Championships, all with the Miami Heat in 2006, 2012, and 2013. He’s also a 12-time NBA All-Star.

#4 Anthony Davis (Kentucky - 2012)

The youngest player on this list is the star of the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis. In his only season with Kentucky, the superstar forward led them to the national title in 2012; which then led to him being taken first overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.

While Davis didn’t light up the score sheet (in fact he was fourth on his team in shots), but he did average a double-double for the tournament and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. During the championship run, Davis averaged 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.8 blocks, and 3.0 assists.

They steamrolled the first four teams they faced to get to the Final Four beating teams by an average of 13.75 points per game. They would defeat Kansas 67-59 in the final.

In the NBA, Davis has carved himself a great career as he’s currently in his sixth season, and poised to take New Orleans to the playoffs for the second time in his career. Davis has been an All-Star every year of his career except for his rookie season.

#3 Steph Curry (Davidson - 2008)

It is also hard to believe that Steph Curry has been in the league almost 10 years now, but it was 2008 when he led the 10-seed Davidson Wildcats to the Elite Eight. This was the year the world knew who Curry was well before he led the Golden State Warriors to two NBA Championships.

During his tournament run, Curry would average an amazing 32.0 points per game with 40 against 7-seed Gonzaga, 30 against 2-seed Georgetown, and 33 against 3-seed Wisconsin in those victories. Davidson’s magical run would end in the Elite Eight with a loss to Kansas by only two points, 59-57.

By now, everyone knows who Steph Curry is, even if they are not sports fans. Golden State won the NBA Championship in 2015 and 2017. Curry is a 5-time NBA All-Star and also a 2-time NBA Most Valuable Player, having won the award in 2015 and 2016.

#2 Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse - 2003)

Also read: 5 Trade packages for Carmelo Anthony

Nearly a decade before Anthony Davis led Kentucky to a national championship in his only season, Carmelo Anthony did the same thing for the Syracuse Orange in 2003. During the six games that led Syracuse to the title, Anthony averaged 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds.

What makes this run more impressive is the fact that during this time in college basketball, it was rare for a freshman to carry their team to a championship as it is today in the one-and-done era. Oddly enough, this is the only national championship in the Hall of Fame career of head coach Jim Boeheim.

In the NBA, Anthony is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the new combination of Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George is starting to click. Anthony is a 10-time NBA All-Star and was the league’s scoring champion in 2013.

#1 Kemba Walker (UCONN - 2011)

The Final Four in 2011 was a year of Cinderellas when on one side of the bracket, 8-seed Butler and 11-seed Virginia Commonwealth faced each other. On the other side, it was UCONN as a 3-seed taking on 4-seed Kentucky. During this run, Kemba Walker became a bonafide superstar.

In the 2011 NCAA Tournament, Walker averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists all while playing almost the entire game throughout the tournament. He averaged 38.5 minutes during those six games.

What made this run even more impressive was the fact that they won the Big East as a 9-seed playing five games in five days. That strong play in the tournament led to their 3-seed designation.

In the NBA, Walker has continuously improved his game since he was drafted in 2011. He’s been an NBA All-Star the past two seasons for the Hornets; where he’s spent his entire NBA career.

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