From UCLA Three-Star Recruits to Storied NBA Careers

Over the years, Pauley Pavilion has been a breeding ground of Basketball Hall of Famers, bringing in some of the country's most prestigious high school recruits and achieving the highest of accomplishments.

Five-star and four-star recruits always get the recognition and the headlines, but there will always be diamonds in the rough.

For how storied UCLA's program has been with renowned prospects, several players without the five-star reputation have earned their way to long and prosperous professional careers.

Norman Powell

Powell is probably one of the more successful three-stars to come out of Westwood.

If anything, his college career is indicative of what was to come in the NBA. He’s a slow riser, but once he’s there, he can be an effective piece to a championship team.

And that’s exactly what he became.

In his first two seasons as a Bruin, he only averaged 6.4 points per game — not bad, but hardly a stat line that screams NBA prospect. Then he broke out in his junior and senior years, helping UCLA reach back-to-back Sweet 16s while averaging 16 points per game on 46% shooting from the field.

Teams started taking notice of Powell’s rise, and it helped him get drafted in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2015 NBA Draft. Milwaukee immediately traded him — along with a 2017 first-rounder — for Greivis Vasquez.

Even though things worked out for Powell, you have to think the Bucks are still kicking themselves. Vasquez was out of the league shortly after, and Powell became a major contributor to the Toronto Raptors’ first-ever NBA Championship in 2019.

Through his first few seasons, Powell was averaging under 10 points per game and strictly known as a bench piece. But when Kawhi Leonard left Toronto, it opened the floodgates for Powell’s individual run.

After a quick stop in Portland, Powell has become a fixture on the Los Angeles Clippers, and recently averaged 22 points per game as a full-time starter this season.

A slow burner, indeed — but the payoff has been immense.

Aaron Holiday

The youngest of the Holiday brothers, Aaron spent three years at UCLA, starting off as a bench player. But once he cracked the starting lineup, he was essentially unstoppable.

During his junior season, Holiday averaged a stunning 20.3 points per game, nearly six assists, and shot 43% from beyond the arc. Those numbers earned him First-Team All-Pac-12 honors — and a spot in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Holiday was selected 23rd overall by the Indiana Pacers, where he spent the longest stretch of his NBA career. Since then, he’s suited up for the Wizards, Hawks, Suns, and now the Houston Rockets, continuing to carve out a steady supporting role.

From the looks of it, he may never replicate the production he had as a junior in Westwood, but he’s still more than capable of holding down a spot on a playoff-caliber roster as a backup point guard.

Luc Mbah a Moute

Though born in Cameroon, Mbah a Moute played his high school ball at Montverde Academy — a Florida powerhouse known for producing elite athletes.

From there, he found his way to UCLA, where he was recruited by Ben Howland. In his freshman year, he helped the Bruins capture the Pac-10 Championship and led the team in rebounding. That same year, he scored the game-winning layup in the Sweet 16 against Gonzaga — capping off one of the wildest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history. He followed that up with a near double-double performance in the Elite Eight against LSU.

He may not be a household name to casual NBA fans, but Mbah a Moute was a cult icon at UCLA. He and fellow Cameroonian Alfred Aboya sparked the creation of the “Cameroon Crazies” — a fan section that brought life to Pauley Pavilion.

After three solid years in Westwood, Mbah a Moute made the leap to the NBA.

Like Powell, he was drafted in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks — but unlike many second-rounders, he saw immediate playing time. He became a reliable starter in Milwaukee and built a reputation as a hard-nosed defender, even if he never averaged more than 10 points per game.

Still, a 13-year NBA career is nothing to sneeze at. And Mbah a Moute's impact extended beyond the court — helping establish a culture not just at UCLA, but within several NBA locker rooms.