Predicting Next Bruin to Win an NBA Finals

As the 2025 NBA Finals arrive between the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder and frenetic Indiana Pacers, this year's championship will be the second of the last 10 to not feature a former UCLA Bruin.

In fact, a Bruin has won all but two of the last 10 NBA Finals; 2020 and 2025; Kevin Love won in 2016, Kevon Looney won in 2017 and 2018, Norman Powell in 2019, Jrue Holiday won in 2021, Looney again in 2022, Peyton Watson in 2023 and Holiday again in 2024.

Pretty remarkable when you think about it. That being said, let's take a look at who we think is the next Bruin most-likely to win an NBA title.

1. Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics (?)

Holiday is the most recent UCLA product to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy, winning last season's title with the Boston Celtics. He is No. 1 on the list simply because he has proven to be an essential piece to contention.

After winning in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks, Holiday found himself with the C's as a part of the aftermath of the Damian Lillard trade. Moving on from Holiday turned out to be one of Milwaukee's biggest mistakes, marking a significant early indicator of their eventual downfall.

There is a question mark next to the Celtics because Holiday's future in Boston is up in the air, what with the untimely Achilles injury to superstar Jayson Tatum and Boston's reported interest in being active this offseason. Holiday -- and his frankly massive contract -- being moved makes the most sense for the Celtics.

Why is the 34-year-old guard still the most likely Bruin, though? Because Holiday has a specific market -- contenders. There has already been reported interest from fringe Western Conference contenders like the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.

Holiday is likely to impact immediate winning wherever he goes.

2. Peyton Watson, Denver Nuggets

Watson, who won a title his rookie year with the Nuggets in 2023, is second on this list simply because he's teammates with arguably the best player in the world, Nikola Jokic.

Denver is one of maybe four teams in the NBA with championship pedigree and shouldn't be counted out immediately when talking about future NBA champions.

The Nuggets have an interesting offseason ahead of them. After firing Michael Malone and bowing out in seven games to the title-favored Thunder in the second round, they proved that they aren't too far off. Maybe a trade involving Michael Porter Jr. can get them over the hump.

3. Norman Powel

Coming off a stellar season with the Los Angeles Clippers, Powell was deemed by many as an All-Star snub for his 21.8-point-per-game campaign.

Powell is one of five active UCLA products to win a championship. He won in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors and current Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam.

Not only does Powell have veteran, championship experience, he's coming off an All-Star level season with a Clippers team that many figured was a top-3 team in the Western Conference. Los Angeles lost to Denver in seven games in the first round.

Much like Holiday, Powell's future with his current team is uncertain. Will the Clippers keep most of their core together, or will they add Powell in a deal to bring in a bigger contract?