Top 10 highly educated players who have played in the NBA

#5 Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook (#4) of the Washington Wizards

Russell Westbrook recently broke the record for most triple-doubles in NBA history (184). However, he is also one of the most brilliant basketball players in terms of academics.

Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) donates laptops to 650 Houston-area students to assist them with their virtual education.👏 MORE @ https://t.co/fYx0nK0W5B pic.twitter.com/8thGqOAQiR

— BarDown (@BarDown) April 14, 2020

Westbrook attended Luezinger High School and finished with a GPA of 3.9. Although that was good enough for Standford, which the point guard wanted, he was not offered a scholarship by the school. He ended up accepting coach Ben Howland's offer and went to the University of California, Los Angeles.

He forfeited his last two years of college and entered the NBA draft in 2008. It has proved to be a productive run, as the 32-year-old guard is having an incredible run in the league.

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#4 Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee (#24_ of the Detroit Pistons

Mason Plumlee is a perfect example of an elite NBA player and an exceptional academic. He featured for the Detroit Pistons in the 2020-21 regular season and has a career field goal percentage of .614.

Plumlee attended Duke University after high school and dual-majored in psychology and cultural anthropology. He finished college and entered the NBA draft in 2013, where he was selected in the first round by the Brooklyn Nets.

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#3 Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin (#7_ of the Brooklyn Nets

Jeremy Lin is the first player of Chinese/ Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. His arrival in the league with the New York Knicks sparked a resurgence for the team in 2012.

Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) flaunts his Harvard education in the latest "This Is SportsCenter" commercial: http://t.co/dmPxgN8l

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2013

Lin finished high school with a 4.2 GPA, which met Harvard's rigorous academic requirements. However, he ended up with a roster spot at Harvard, as the coaches expected Stanford to offer him a scholarship.

After four years at Harvard, Lin graduated with honors in Economics with a GPA of 3.1. Although Lin currently plays for the Santa Cruz Warriors outside the NBA, he won the 2019 NBA Finals with the Toronto Raptors.

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#2 Chris Dudley

Chris Dudley

Chris Dudley was not renowned for his free-throw shooting and is known as one of the first NBA players with diabetes. His educational portfolio is outstanding, to say the least, though.

Dudley graduated from Yale University with two degrees, one in political science and the other in economics. After his stint in the NBA, he delved into the finance industry and then into politics.

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#1 Dikembe Mutombo

NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo has a doctorate degree.

Dikembe Mutombo arguably achieved more success in academics than in the NBA. The Congolese center made eight NBA All-Star appearances and featured in postseason action in 13 of his 19 seasons in the league.

Mutombo attended Georgetown University and graduated in 1991 with honors in linguistics and diplomacy. For someone that arrived in the US without a good command in English, he now speaks nine languages.

After his NBA stint, he went back to school and got a doctorate degree in 2010. He currently runs a charitable organization to help people from his hometown.