Final Five Candidates Announced for 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Fan Voting to Open Today, March 10 on HoophallAwards.com - Friday, March 10, 2017 -

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its third year recognizes the top centers in Division I men’s college basketball. A committee comprised of top college basketball personnel narrowed the original watch list of 20 candidates down to 10 and now the final five.

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is certainly one of the best centers to ever play the game and his accomplishments at the collegiate level have been unmatched,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Kareem and his selection committee have the very tall task of evaluating this year’s talented big men and we look forward to watching these young men elevate their games throughout the month of March.”

The winner of the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans are encouraged to visit www.HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes March 10-24.

The winner of the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at ESPN’s College Basketball Awards, presented by Wendy’s, live from The Novo by Microsoft in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, April 7, 2017. The Awards will be televised live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. EST.

Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and , Wisconsin (2015). For more information on the 2017 Kareem Abdul- Jabbar Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.

2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalists

Przemek Karnowski Gonzaga Tim Kempton Lehigh Jock Landale Saint Mary’s Angel Delgado Seton Hall Wisconsin

– Continued – About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.

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Basketball Hall of Fame Media Contact: Nicole Taylor, Position Sports 480-861-2442 [email protected]

ESPN Media Contact: Keri Potts, Sr. Director of Communications [email protected]