UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball History
The UCLA Bruins played their first men’s basketball game in 1919, but the program did not take off until the legendary John Wooden assumed coaching duties in 1948. Wooden, nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, remained at the school until 1975 and put together a historic tenure, racking 10 NCAA titles in 11 years and seven consecutively.
The UCLA Bruins hold a number of records in men's basketball thanks to Wooden’s dominant years at the helm, including 11 NCAA titles, the most of any school. The Bruins have won four conference titles and 38 regular-season conference championships (16 under Wooden), mostly in the Pac-12, where UCLA had been a member from 1928 to 2024. Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the UCLA Bruins moved to the Big Ten Conference along with their historical, crosstown rival, the University of Southern California Trojans.
Many UCLA Bruins have gone on to play in the NBA. These include six-time NBA Champion, six-time MVP and 19-time NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played in three of the Bruins' NCAA Championships. UCLA's other five Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame winners are Don Barksdale, Gail Goodrich, Reggie Miller, Bill Walton and Jamaal Wilkes, while other notable NBA players who are UCLA alums include Baron Davis, Trevor Ariza, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Matt Barnes, Kevon Looney and Lonzo Ball.
UCLA Bruins Team Info
Conference: Big Ten
Team Colors: Blue and gold
Team Rivals: USC, Arizona, Notre Dame
UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion
UCLA plays in the Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, or simply Pauley Pavilion, on the UCLA campus in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The court they play on is called the Nell and John Wooden Court in honor of former coach John Wooden and his wife, Nell. The arena opened in 1965 and was most recently renovated in 2012. Nicknamed "New Pauley" when it reopened, the venue currently seats 13,800. Along with Bruins men’s and women’s basketball, Pauley Pavilion presents other UCLA campus events and has been slated to serve as the site for the Olympic Village and training in the 2028 Olympic Games. The UCLA arena is also distinct in only raising banners for the Bruins’ national championships rather than displaying any intra-conference achievements.