Brad Underwood Richmond Family Endowed Men’s Head Basketball Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Brad Underwood Richmond Family Endowed Men’s Head Basketball Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Fighting Illini junior Tomislav Ivisic has been named as one of 20 watch-list candidates for the 2026 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, according to an announcement by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The award, which is now in its twelfth year, honors the top centers in Division I men's college basketball.
Ivisic played a significant role for Illinois last season, finishing as the team's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder and shot blocker. He averaged 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game during his first collegiate season. He was also among the Big Ten leaders with 11 double-doubles and had five games scoring more than 20 points. His shooting performance included a team-best 35.7% from three-point range, making 55 of his 154 attempts from beyond the arc.
During the NCAA Tournament, Ivisic made nine three-pointers across two games—four in a first-round win over Xavier that featured a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds), and five against Kentucky in the second round as part of a performance that included 19 points, six rebounds, and four blocks.
The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is named after Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and recognizes outstanding play at center in men's college basketball. Candidates can be added or removed from the watch list throughout the season.
The selection process involves narrowing down the list to ten players in early February and then to five finalists in March. The final winner will be chosen by committees that include media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
In addition to Ivisic’s recognition on the men’s side, twenty candidates were also announced for the Lisa Leslie Award honoring top centers in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
Fans are invited to participate in voting during each round of selection through hoophallawards.com.
Previous winners of these awards include Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Zach Edey (Purdue), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Luka Garza (Iowa), Lauren Betts (UCLA), Cameron Brink (Stanford), Aliyah Boston (South Carolina), Megan Gustafson (Iowa), and A'ja Wilson (South Carolina).
For further updates about this year’s awards or additional information about all honorees—including those recognized at other positions such as point guard or small forward—visit hoophallawards.com or follow @hoophallu on social media platforms X and Instagram using #KareemAward or #LeslieAward.
Alerts Sign-up