Arron Afflalo played on some really good UCLA teams. Including the team that made it all the way to the National Championship game in 2006. Before ultimately losing to Billy Donovan’s Florida powerhouse team. Afflalo would return the year after for his junior season. Making it his best one yet in route to being a first team All-American and a first round draft pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. He was also named Pac-10 Player of the Year. Adding his name to a list of many UCLA players that have earned their way to being titled as an All-American.
#TBT to Arron Afflalo.
✅ Back-to-back Final Fours
✅ 2007 Consensus All-American pic.twitter.com/FTNHIue6Co
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) August 24, 2017
Afflalo was always seen as a two-way player. He could get you buckets on offense and go cover the best player on defense. Providing Ben Howland with another player at his disposal that fit the mold. Howland was able to coach Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison, Jrue Holiday, Afflalo and many more that could play both ways. Afflalo averaged 16.9 points per game on the 2006-07 season on 46.1/37.5/80.2 shooting splits. Playing on two Final Four teams and some of the best defense in the nation.
Afflalo would go on to have a successful NBA career that spanned 11 seasons. Averaging 10.8 points per game in 762 career games. Displaying his two-way player status in the 2009-10 season where he was 17th in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Playing in all 82 games that season for the Denver Nuggets and showing his versatility as well as being a consistent healthy player. He made over $58 million in his NBA career and proved to be a solid rotational player on six different teams. With his most success coming as a member of the Orlando Magic where he averaged 13.5 points per game over four seasons.
We give you Arron Afflalo https://t.co/ulm6g8Rtua pic.twitter.com/EWnLdo0cSr
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 14, 2025
Howland had an impressive run as UCLA head coach. It didn’t end with the championship like all the fans wanted. But he was able to develop some very good players as coach. Afflalo being one of the many of them and his 2007 season. All-Americans are etched in history forever and Afflalo will be in the record books as a UCLA Bruin.