UCLA Basketball: How This NBA Champion Impacted Jaime Jaquez's View on Basketball

It was a real wake up call for him!

One of the perks of playing for a big-time college basketball school is all of the media attention that will come your way. It helps players get their names out there more and gives them a larger platform to use for showcasing their skill sets.

Like any other historic program, the UCLA Bruins benefit from this and maybe even more so than others. Being in Southern California, the Bruins get all sorts of athletes that come to work out at their facilities. They play pickup games against UCLA players, and it helps college athletes develop their games even more.

Former Bruin Jamie Jaquez Jr. recently went on Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Goerge’s Podcast and talked about how his time at UCLA helped him get ready for the NBA. He recalled tone former NBA champion in particular that made him realize just how talented he needed to be to make the NBA.

“But I just remember being there and seeing Corey Brewer. He was one of those first guys to go there. He’s not the biggest NBA guy in the world, but I just remember, I knew who he was. And I was watching him play and I was like, ‘Damn, these motherfu***ers are really good.’ Like, even a guy that isn’t the top of the top All-Star, just really busting everyone’s ass. And it really just gave me perspective like, ‘Damn, I gotta get better.’ You know?” the former UCLA star said."

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Podcast P With Paul George

Brewer was always a decent player in the league, but he was never an All-Pro or anything. He served in his role as a solid bench player, and it served him over a long career. But even the guys at the end of the bench in the NBA are 50 times better than players that aren’t in the league. Sometimes this gets lost in transition but it's the reality.

But playing against a guy like Brewer made Jaquez Jr. realize that he needed to improve his own game if he wanted to enter the league. 

Jaquez Jr. was a star in his own right during his time with the Bruins, and in his final season with them, he averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists as he won the Pac-12 Player of the Year Award. He was the first Bruin to win the award since Kevin Love did it in 2008.

It was a big reason why he was selected as a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft last month. He was taken by the Miami Heat and will be looking to start his career strong with the Eastern Conference Champions. Bruin fans will always root for Jaquez Jr. and will closely be watching him as his career progresses.