DeMar DeRozan 

Despite only playing one season for the Trojans, in 2009, NBA veteran DeMar DeRozan has his No. 10 jersey raised in the rafters of Galen Center. DeRozan was a driving force for USC, averaging 13.9 points per game and leading the Trojans to a Pac-12 tournament. He took home MVP honors for the tournament and spearheaded a first-round victory against Boston College in the NCAA Tournament. Due to his high level of production for USC, DeRozan declared for the NBA draft after one season and was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors. 

He spent his first nine NBA seasons in Toronto, leading the Raptors to five straight playoff appearances and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2016. In 2018, DeRozan was shockingly dealt to the San Antonio Spurs in a blockbuster trade. He spent three seasons with the Spurs before then being traded again to the Chicago Bulls in 2021 to team up with All-Star Zach LaVine. 

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DeRozan shined in his first year in the Windy City, putting up nearly 27.9 ppg on 50.4% shooting from the field. This earned him a spot on the 2021-2022 All-NBA Second Team. The Bulls marched to the playoffs behind the duo of DeRozan and LaVine but ultimately fell in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks.

This season, the six-time All-Star is averaging 22.2 ppg and 5.3 apg for the Bulls in 35 games. Despite DeRozan’s solid production, Chicago sits at the No. 10 seed in the East with a 16-21 record. It will be interesting to see if the Bulls decide to keep him for a playoff push or deal him to a contender so he can add a championship to his already impressive resume before the end of his career. Either way, he still has a lot of gas left in the tank.

Evan Mobley

The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft has not only made an impact in the NBA thus far but was the main reason for the Trojans’ success in the 2020-2021 season. The 7-footer averaged 16.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 2.9 bpg in 33 games for USC. For this, Mobley was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, joining Anthony Davis as the only players to achieve this feat in a major conference. While his career at USC was brief, Mobley will forever be a Trojan legend as he led them to their first Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2001. 

And he didn’t miss a beat when he became a professional. Mobley has been a promising young star for the Cleveland Cavaliers in his first three seasons in the NBA. In his rookie season, he tallied 15 ppg and 8.3 rpg to go along with 1.7 bpg on the defensive end, earning him a spot on the 2021-2022 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team. 

Mobley has shown steady progression this season, posting a double-double with 16 ppg and 10.5 rpg. Unfortunately, he has only played 21 games for the Cavs this season as he suffered a left knee injury back in December and is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks. There is still hope for the power forward to return to form later in the season to help the seventh-place Cavaliers make a playoff run. Barring more injury problems in the future, Mobley is primed to be a future All-Star and a centerpiece in Cleveland for years to come.

Nikola Vučević

Unlike the three players mentioned above, Vučević was not a one-and-done player as he played three seasons for the Trojans from 2008 to 2011. Over those three years, he was reliable for USC, totaling 11.1 ppg and 8.0 rpg and making an All-Pac-12 team twice. Vučević also led the Trojans to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2011.

While Vučević had success at USC, his game began to blossom when he arrived in the NBA. The Switzerland native has been selected to two All-Star teams in 2019 and 2021 and has been a solid big man in the league for 13 seasons, averaging a career double-double of 17.0 ppg and 10.5 rpg. 

This season, Vučević finds himself on the same team and in the same situation as DeMar DeRozan. He is putting up near his career averages for a struggling Bulls team. Although he is not putting up the All-Star numbers that he did for the Orlando Magic, he would be a great center for a contending team.