Last Updated on May 30, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

UNLV is one of those programs where the word “legend” actually carries real weight. This is not a school living off one good season or a couple of famous alumni. The Runnin’ Rebels won the 1990 national championship, reached four Final Fours, built one of the most intimidating identities in college basketball under Jerry Tarkanian and produced a long line of stars whose names still define the program. UNLV’s official history also notes 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Final Fours and the 1990 title, which is why the very best Rebel players still sit comfortably in the national conversation. (Sports Reference)

What makes a proper UNLV legends ranking tricky is that the program has multiple great eras. The 1970s group helped put the school on the map, the mid-1980s teams made deep March runs, and the 1990 and 1991 teams pushed the program into college basketball royalty. So this list leans on peak college value, individual honors, program records, retired jerseys and how much each player shaped the identity of UNLV basketball.

1. Larry Johnson

  • Years with UNLV: 1989–1991
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1990 national champion
    • 1991 National Player of the Year
    • Two-time consensus first-team All-American
    • Two-time conference player of the year
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member
    • Jersey honored in the rafters

Larry Johnson gets the top spot because his peak was almost absurd. In just two seasons at UNLV, he scored 1,617 points and grabbed 837 rebounds, won the Wooden Award in 1991, led the Rebels to the 1990 national championship and then helped drive the 1990-91 team to a 35-1 finish. UNLV also lists him as the school record holder for rebounds in a season with 457 in 1989-90. When the best player on the best team in program history also owns that kind of hardware, there is no real debate about No. 1. (University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics)

2. Stacey Augmon

  • Years with UNLV: 1987–1991
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1990 national champion
    • Two Final Four appearances
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member
    • No. 3 in career scoring at UNLV
    • No. 3 in career rebounds at UNLV
    • Tied for No. 1 in career steals at UNLV
    • Jersey honored in the rafters

Stacey Augmon has one of the strongest all-around résumés in school history. UNLV’s Hall of Fame bio says he still ranks third in career scoring with 2,011 points, third in rebounds with 1,005 and tied for first in career steals with 275, while also holding the school marks for games played and starts. He was there for the build, the title and the 35-1 follow-up season, which matters. Some Rebels had bigger single-season scoring explosions, but almost nobody matched Augmon’s two-way value, longevity and place in the program’s defining run. (University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics)

3. Freddie Banks

  • Years with UNLV: 1983–1987
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1987 Final Four team leader
    • More than 2,000 career points
    • First-team All-Big West twice
    • Jersey honored in the rafters
    • Set the famous NCAA Tournament mark with 10 threes in the 1987 national semifinal

Freddie Banks has to be near the top because he was the face of one of the most important teams UNLV ever had. He finished with 2,007 career points, remains one of the great shooters in school history and helped lead the 1986-87 Rebels to a 37-2 season and the Final Four. That Indiana game still shadows every conversation about him because his 10 three-pointers in the national semifinal became one of the defining shooting explosions in March history. He may not have won the title, but he was a central reason UNLV felt like a national power before the championship team arrived. (University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics)

4. Anderson Hunt

  • Years with UNLV: 1988–1991
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1990 national champion
    • NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1990
    • UNLV’s career three-point leader
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member
    • Jersey honored in the rafters

Anderson Hunt’s case is built on championships, shot-making and March credibility. UNLV’s Hall of Fame page calls him the school’s reigning three-point king and the program’s only Final Four Most Outstanding Player award winner. That alone is enormous. He was not just a side piece on the title team either. He was one of the defining perimeter scorers of that era and one of the biggest reason those Rebel teams were so explosive. In a program with a lot of stars, being the only player with that Final Four award stands out. (University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics)

5. Eddie Owens

  • Years with UNLV: 1973–1977
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable achievements:
    • UNLV all-time leading scorer
    • All-American
    • Star of the 1976-77 Final Four team
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member
    • Jersey honored in the rafters

Eddie Owens is impossible to leave out of the top tier because he is still the program’s all-time scoring leader with 2,221 points, and UNLV explicitly notes that he scored 148 more points than any other Rebel in history while doing it before the three-point line existed. He was a central figure on the 1976-77 team that helped put UNLV on the national map and reached the school’s first Final Four. That matters a lot in a legends ranking. If Johnson is the greatest peak, Owens is one of the clearest program-builders.

6. Greg Anthony

  • Years with UNLV: 1988–1991
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1990 national champion
    • Two Final Four appearances
    • UNLV career assists leader
    • Tied for career steals lead
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member
    • Jersey honored in the rafters

Greg Anthony was the engine room guard on the best teams UNLV ever fielded. His Hall of Fame bio says he still holds the school record in assists with 838 and shares the career steals lead with 275. He also piled up 1,301 career points, which tells you he was more than just a table-setter. On a program known for pace and pressure, Anthony embodied both. He was a huge part of why those teams were not just talented but ruthless. (University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics)

7. Armon Gilliam

  • Years with UNLV: 1984–1987
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1987 Final Four team star
    • Second-team All-American
    • No. 7 on UNLV’s all-time scoring list
    • No. 2 overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft
    • Jersey honored in the rafters

Armon Gilliam belongs high on this list because he was the main interior force on the 1987 Final Four team and one of the biggest stars of that era. UNLV says he scored 1,855 career points, ranking seventh in school history, and was a second-team All-American in 1987. He also went second overall in the NBA Draft, which reflects how dominant he looked coming out of college. If Banks was the iconic shooter of that team, Gilliam was the powerful frontcourt presence that made the whole thing go.

8. Sidney Green

  • Years with UNLV: 1979–1983
  • Position: Forward
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1983 All-American
    • UNLV’s second all-time leading scorer
    • Jersey honored in the rafters
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member

Sidney Green deserves this spot because his production is simply too large to ignore. UNLV has stated that he is the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,073 career points, and he was also the first Runnin’ Rebel to have his jersey raised at the Thomas & Mack Center. That combination of numbers and symbolic status matters. He was one of the great pre-title stars who kept the program nationally relevant and helped connect the 1970s rise to the later Tarkanian machine. (University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics)

9. Reggie Theus

  • Years with UNLV: 1975–1978
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • 1978 second-team All-American
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member
    • Jersey honored in the rafters
    • First-round NBA draft pick

Reggie Theus ranks this high because his name still carries major weight in Rebel history even if some others posted bigger school totals. UNLV’s retired-jersey history notes that he was a 1978 second-team All-American, a first-round NBA pick and later a Hall of Fame inductee for the school. He ranks lower than some of the all-time statistical monsters, but in terms of talent, profile and lasting importance, he is clearly a legends-list name.

10. Ricky Sobers

  • Years with UNLV: 1973–1975
  • Position: Guard
  • Notable achievements:
    • First All-American in program history
    • First first-round NBA draft pick in program history
    • Jersey honored in the rafters
    • UNLV Hall of Fame member

Ricky Sobers closes the top 10 because he was one of the first true standard-setters for the program. UNLV has described him as the first All-American in school history and the first Rebel taken in the first round of the NBA Draft. Those kinds of historical firsts carry a lot of weight in a program ranking. He did not stay as long as some of the others and does not have the same counting stats, but the early national-level breakthrough matters. (University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics)

Honorable mentions

  • Glen Gondrezick
  • Robert Smith
  • J.R. Rider
  • Mark Wade
  • Gerald Paddio
  • Anthony Bennett
  • Shawn Marion

Glen Gondrezick was another major 1970s figure and retired-jersey name, while Robert Smith was one of the stars of the first Final Four team and a West Regional co-most outstanding player in 1977. J.R. Rider posted one of the biggest scoring seasons in school history in 1992-93, Mark Wade was a central playmaker on the 1987 Final Four team, and Gerald Paddio remains tied to one of the great volume shooting performances in NCAA Tournament play. Anthony Bennett and Shawn Marion also brought NBA-level talent to the program, even if their college résumés do not quite break into the top 10 Rebel tier.

Sources:

UNLV Athletics — History / Records PDF
UNLV Athletics — Larry Johnson Selected To National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
UNLV Athletics — Larry Johnson – UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame
UNLV Athletics — Stacey Augmon – UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame
UNLV Athletics — Greg Anthony – UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame
UNLV Athletics — Anderson Hunt – UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame
UNLV Athletics — Runnin’ Rebels Host No. 2 UCLA, To Retire Freddie Banks’ Jersey Saturday
UNLV Athletics — UNLV To Celebrate 1987 Final Four Team Saturday
UNLV Athletics — Runnin’ Rebels Host Stetson Saturday Afternoon For Anderson Hunt Day
UNLV Athletics — Runnin’ Rebels To Retire Eddie Owens’ Jersey On Wednesday Night
UNLV Athletics — Former Runnin’ Rebel Great Hired as Radio Analyst
UNLV Athletics — UNLV / ISP Will Televise Two
Sports-Reference — UNLV Men’s Basketball Leaders & Records – Career