Last Updated on March 14, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Texas has one of the deepest no-title résumés in college basketball: three Final Fours, dozens of conference championships, major national award winners, and a player history stretching from the pre-SWC era to Kevin Durant and the Rick Barnes years. The best Longhorn legends are the players who either dominated nationally, anchored Texas’ biggest postseason runs, or left marks on the program that still define its identity. (Sports Reference)

1. Kevin Durant

  • Years at Texas: 2006–2007
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable Achievements:
    • National Player of the Year
    • Won the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy
    • Consensus First-Team All-American
    • Big 12 Player of the Year
    • No. 35 retired by Texas

Durant’s Texas career only lasted one season, but the peak was absurd. He became the first freshman to win both the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy, and no Longhorn has matched that level of national dominance in a single year. (University of Texas Athletics)

2. T.J. Ford

  • Years at Texas: 2001–2003
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable Achievements:
    • 2003 National Player of the Year
    • Led Texas to the 2003 Final Four
    • First freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in assists
    • No. 11 retired by Texas

Ford has the best case after Durant because he was both brilliant individually and the engine of Texas’ best modern NCAA run. He made Texas feel like a national title threat and remains one of the most decorated players in school history. (University of Texas Athletics)

3. Slater Martin

  • Years at Texas: 1946–1949
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable Achievements:
    • All-American in 1949
    • Star on Texas’ 1947 Final Four team
    • Basketball Hall of Fame member
    • Won five NBA titles after Texas

Martin’s legend extends beyond college, but his Texas résumé stands on its own. He was the lead guard on a Final Four team and remains the school’s most decorated basketball alumnus in the pro game. (University of Texas Athletics)

4. Travis Mays

  • Years at Texas: 1986–1990
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable Achievements:
    • No. 2 scorer in school history with 2,279 points
    • First player in SWC history to win back-to-back Player of the Year honors
    • Three-time All-SWC selection

Mays is one of the purest high-level scorers Texas has ever produced. He did not have the deepest NCAA run, but in terms of sustained offensive greatness, he is locked into the top tier. (University of Texas Athletics)

5. LaSalle Thompson

  • Years at Texas: 1980–1982
  • Position: Center
  • Notable Achievements:
    • Career rebounding record holder at 11.8 per game
    • Led the nation in rebounding in 1982
    • Two-time All-SWC selection
    • No. 5 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft

Thompson has one of the strongest big-man cases in school history. He owned the glass, posted elite efficiency, and was good enough to be a top-five NBA draft pick, which says plenty about his college impact. (University of Texas Athletics)

6. Raymond Downs

  • Years at Texas: 1955–1957
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable Achievements:
    • Coach and Athlete Magazine Player of the Year
    • Helms Foundation All-American
    • Ranked eighth nationally in scoring in 1956 with 26.8 points per game
    • Two-time All-SWC selection

Downs belongs this high because his peak scoring profile was elite by any era’s standard. He was one of Texas’ earliest true national stars and still ranks among the most decorated forwards the program has had. (University of Texas Athletics)

7. Jim Krivacs

  • Years at Texas: 1976–1979
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable Achievements:
    • 1978 All-American
    • Co-MVP of the 1978 NIT
    • Led Texas to SWC titles in 1978 and 1979
    • Scored 1,673 career points and averaged 19.5 per game

Krivacs was the lead scorer on one of the best pre-Big 12 Texas stretches. The 1978 NIT title mattered, and he was the biggest offensive reason that group became one of the program’s landmark teams. (University of Texas Athletics)

8. Johnny Moore

  • Years at Texas: 1976–1979
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable Achievements:
    • Started all 112 games in his career
    • Scored 1,482 points
    • Led Texas to two SWC co-championships
    • MVP of the 1978 NIT

Moore was the floor general and tone-setter for a major winning era. He is not just a sidekick inclusion here; he was one of the main drivers of a championship-level stretch in conference and NIT play. (University of Texas Athletics)

9. Chris Mihm

  • Years at Texas: 1997–2000
  • Position: Center
  • Notable Achievements:
    • UT’s first Associated Press First-Team All-American in men’s basketball
    • Career blocked-shot leader with 264
    • Three-year starter who played in all 96 games

Mihm brought true national-star big-man play back to Texas before the Ford-Durant stretch. His All-America status and shot-blocking record make him one of the clearest modern legend picks. (University of Texas Athletics)

10. LaMarcus Aldridge

  • Years at Texas: 2004–2006
  • Position: Forward/Center
  • Notable Achievements:
    • Third-Team All-American
    • Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
    • Led Texas to a 30-win season, Big 12 regular-season title, and Elite Eight in 2006
    • Highest NBA draft pick in program history at the time

Aldridge’s college stay was brief, but his sophomore season was massive. He gave Texas elite interior scoring and rim protection and was central to one of the best teams of the Barnes era. (University of Texas Athletics)

11. John Hargis

  • Years at Texas: 1942–1943, 1946–1947
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable Achievements:
    • All-American in 1947
    • Led Texas to Final Four berths in 1943 and 1947
    • Two-time All-SWC selection

Hargis has one of the strongest winning résumés in program history. Two Final Four trips in the 1940s matter a lot for Texas because those runs still sit near the center of the school’s postseason history. (University of Texas Athletics)

12. Bobby Moers

  • Years at Texas: 1938–1940
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable Achievements:
    • First-Team All-American in 1939 and 1940
    • Led the SWC in scoring in both seasons
    • Member of Texas’ 1939 SWC championship team

Moers rounds out the list because his old-era résumé is too strong to ignore. Two All-America selections and back-to-back conference scoring titles make him one of the foundational stars of Texas basketball. (University of Texas Athletics)

Strong Honorable Mentions

  • Clyde Littlefield
  • Jack Gray
  • Ron Baxter
  • James Thomas
  • Mike Wacker
  • B.J. Tyler

Those names all have credible cases, but the 12 above give the best blend of national awards, Final Four value, record-book strength, and era-defining importance. Texas’ own Hall of Honor and all-decade material make clear how deep the debate is, especially across the 1930s, 1940s, late-1970s NIT run, and Barnes-era resurgence. (University of Texas Athletics)

Sources:
Texas Longhorns — Kevin Durant (2022) – Hall of Honor
Texas Longhorns — T.J. Ford (2013) – Hall of Honor
Texas Longhorns — Slater Martin (1962) – Hall of Honor
Texas Longhorns — Men’s Athletics retires nine jersey numbers
Texas Longhorns — T.J. Ford inducted into Longhorn Hall of Honor
Texas Longhorns — University of Texas to retire Kevin Durant’s No. 35 jersey during Texas Tech game
Texas Longhorns — University of Texas to retire Slater Martin’s No. 15 jersey
Texas Longhorns — Texas Men’s Basketball All-Decade Teams
Texas Longhorns — Hall of Honor