Alabama basketball didn't arrive at a historic Final Four appearance last season without some legends paving the way.
The Tuscaloosa News has narrowed down the 10 greatest Crimson Tide players of all time .
One-and-done careers compared to those that stretched to multiple seasons was a factor that was tricky to weigh when it came to deciding who placed where on the list, and whether some made it at all.
From the country's highest-rated recruits to homegrown guys, here are the athletes who have helped UA become known for more than its football program.
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Hailing from just south of Tuscaloosa in Moundville, the Hale County alumni was key to the transition into playing Nate Oats' style of blue-collar basketball. Jones finished his four years at UA with 947 points, 630 rebounds, 285 assists, 167 steals and 98 blocks. Jones was an SEC Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in his final year before being drafted by the Pelicans in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
The No. 1 all-time recruit in program history, Sexton was recruited to Alabama in 2017 as the country's top point guard. He made a mark in his one-and done season, shooting 44.7% to average 19.2 points along with 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Sexton went eighth in the 2018 NBA Draft and played for the Cleveland Cavaliers until he was traded to Utah in 2022.
Before the Birmingham native played 10 seasons in the NBA, he forged two NCAA Tournament appearances at Alabama. Whatley shot 49.8% in college and set the program record for single-season assists with 220 in 1983. The passing wizard's career-average 6.3 assists per game are still a school record, too.
McDyess was heralded as the best big man in the SEC during his two seasons at Alabama. He averaged 13.6 points and 10 rebounds per game as a sophomore before going as the second overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9, 240 pounder saw the Crimson Tide to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
The 15-year NBA veteran came to the league after earning SEC Player of the Year honors as a senior in 1987 and was part of three Sweet 16 runs. He averaged 6.5 career rebounds and 1.89 career blocks per game while clearing 58% of shots from the field.
Douglas was a three-time All-SEC selection and the program's first-ever consensus All-American in 1975. In four seasons with the Crimson Tide, the 6-10 big averaged 17.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. The Detroit Pistons took him fourth overall in 1976.
Sears' story is unfinished, but he's the face of a new age of UA hoops. The Muscle Shoals native powered the program's first-ever Final Four run and entered 2024-25 as a preseason top pick to finish as national player of the year. Last season, Sears scored 20-plus points in 26 games, breaking a record previously held by Reggie King to become the program's third consensus All-American.
Horry did the dirty work when it counted from UA to the NBA, coming up with clutch shots to earn the name "Big Shot Bob." The Andalusia High alum's 1988-92 Alabama stint was highlighted by three SEC Tournament championships and two Sweet 16 runs before he went 11th overall in the 1992 NBA Draft to the Houston Rockets .
In 2023, Miller became the first SEC player to win the league's player of the year, freshman of the year and tournament MVP in the same season. Miller arrived for his single year at UA as the No. 3 small forward of the 2022 recruiting class. He averaged 23 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, filling out the rest of his stat line with averages of 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks.
King still holds the record as Alabama's all-time top scorer with 2,168 points in four seasons, leaving for the NBA as an SEC great after leading Alabama to its first Sweet 16 in 1976. His point total and 1,279 rebounds rank eighth and third in league history, respectively, in stats dating back to 1950. He went 18th to the Kansas City Kings in the 1979 NBA Draft.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Who are the 10 greatest players in Alabama basketball history?
