St. John's University Athletics
Zuby Ejiofor Named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year
4/4/2026 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ejiofor tabbed nation’s top center by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's men's basketball standout Zuby Ejiofor was named the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year, it was announced on ESPN's College Gameday on Saturday.
Ejiofor was named the nation's top center by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Starting Five honoring the top player in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball at each position.
"I'm truly honored and grateful to be recognized with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. To be associated with the legacy of Kareem a symbol of excellence, leadership, and meaningful impact beyond the game is incredibly humbling," said Ejiofor. "This recognition motivates me to continue striving not only for success on the court, but to keep making a positive difference in the lives of others."
St. John's big man strung together a storied senior campaign leading the Johnnies to their second straight BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships and the program's first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999.
The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is presented annually during the Final Four since 2015. Ejiofor becomes the first St. John's player to ever win a Naismith Starting Five award and is the second straight BIG EAST player to capture the center of the year honor after Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner took home the honor last year.
Ejiofor averaged 16.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. The Garland, Texas native and Howard's Bryce Taylor are the only players in NCAA Division I to lead their teams and rank top-10 in the conference in all five of the aforementioned statistical categories.
The 6-foot-9 center became the first St. John's player to score 600-plus points, pull down 250 or more rebounds and record at least 75 blocks since Walter in 1985-86, when he was named National Player of the Year.
A prolific scorer from all three levels, Ejiofor ranked sixth in the BIG EAST in scoring averaging 16.3 points. He tallied 31 double-digit scoring performances, including 17 of the final 18 games, 11 20-plus point outings and matched a career-high 33 points against Providence on Jan. 3.
Over three years in Queens, the captain finished his career ranked ninth all-time in career field goal percentage with a mark of .547.
A force on the glass, Ejiofor led the team in rebounding for the second consecutive season. The post presence finished the year seventh in conference logging 7.3 boards per game. Ejiofor registered nine double-figure rebounding efforts, including a career-high 15 boards against Providence at MSG.
Ejiofor developed into an elite passer pacing the team in assists at 3.5 per game. Ejiofor and Robbie Avila of Saint Louis are the only players at their position to average 3.5 helpers or more per contest. The former Kansas transfer dished out five or more assists in 11 contests in 2025-26. On Feb. 28, he racked up a career-high 10 helpers in a legendary effort becoming the fourth known player in program history to record a triple-double.
The ferocious rim-protector stamped his name into the history books with his staggering shot-blocking numbers. Ejiofor finished his Red Storm career with 165 rejections, which ranks fourth most in program history. This season, he posted 2.14 blocks per game, which ranks second in the BIG EAST and 20th in NCAA Division I. The big man became the first player in the country to record eight swats in back-to-back games since November 2021 and set a St. John's BIG EAST Tournament record with seven blocks in the title victory over UConn on March 14.
Ejiofor adds to his trophy case after a decorate 2025-26 season. He became the first player in league history to win BIG EAST Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the same season. Additionally, he was named an AP and USBWA All-American Honorable Mention, a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, ECAC Player of the Year, NABC All-District First Team honoree and a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team and All-Defensive Team honoree.
Ejiofor was named the nation's top center by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Starting Five honoring the top player in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball at each position.
"I'm truly honored and grateful to be recognized with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. To be associated with the legacy of Kareem a symbol of excellence, leadership, and meaningful impact beyond the game is incredibly humbling," said Ejiofor. "This recognition motivates me to continue striving not only for success on the court, but to keep making a positive difference in the lives of others."
St. John's big man strung together a storied senior campaign leading the Johnnies to their second straight BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships and the program's first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999.
The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is presented annually during the Final Four since 2015. Ejiofor becomes the first St. John's player to ever win a Naismith Starting Five award and is the second straight BIG EAST player to capture the center of the year honor after Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner took home the honor last year.
Ejiofor averaged 16.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. The Garland, Texas native and Howard's Bryce Taylor are the only players in NCAA Division I to lead their teams and rank top-10 in the conference in all five of the aforementioned statistical categories.
The 6-foot-9 center became the first St. John's player to score 600-plus points, pull down 250 or more rebounds and record at least 75 blocks since Walter in 1985-86, when he was named National Player of the Year.
A prolific scorer from all three levels, Ejiofor ranked sixth in the BIG EAST in scoring averaging 16.3 points. He tallied 31 double-digit scoring performances, including 17 of the final 18 games, 11 20-plus point outings and matched a career-high 33 points against Providence on Jan. 3.
Over three years in Queens, the captain finished his career ranked ninth all-time in career field goal percentage with a mark of .547.
A force on the glass, Ejiofor led the team in rebounding for the second consecutive season. The post presence finished the year seventh in conference logging 7.3 boards per game. Ejiofor registered nine double-figure rebounding efforts, including a career-high 15 boards against Providence at MSG.
Ejiofor developed into an elite passer pacing the team in assists at 3.5 per game. Ejiofor and Robbie Avila of Saint Louis are the only players at their position to average 3.5 helpers or more per contest. The former Kansas transfer dished out five or more assists in 11 contests in 2025-26. On Feb. 28, he racked up a career-high 10 helpers in a legendary effort becoming the fourth known player in program history to record a triple-double.
The ferocious rim-protector stamped his name into the history books with his staggering shot-blocking numbers. Ejiofor finished his Red Storm career with 165 rejections, which ranks fourth most in program history. This season, he posted 2.14 blocks per game, which ranks second in the BIG EAST and 20th in NCAA Division I. The big man became the first player in the country to record eight swats in back-to-back games since November 2021 and set a St. John's BIG EAST Tournament record with seven blocks in the title victory over UConn on March 14.
Ejiofor adds to his trophy case after a decorate 2025-26 season. He became the first player in league history to win BIG EAST Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the same season. Additionally, he was named an AP and USBWA All-American Honorable Mention, a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, ECAC Player of the Year, NABC All-District First Team honoree and a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team and All-Defensive Team honoree.
Players Mentioned
Forward
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