Gabe Vincent (UC Santa Barbara ’18), a third-year player in the NBA with the Miami Heat, is set to become the 11th Big West alum to compete in the NBA Finals. The last player from the conference to participate in the NBA Finals was Cal State Fullerton alum Bruce Bowen in 2007 for the San Antonio Spurs.
The 2023 NBA Finals will be contested between the Denver Nuggest, winners of the Western Conference, and Miami Heat, victors of the Eastern Conference.
Before making a home in South Beach, Vincent played four seasons in Isla Vista, averaged 12.8 points in 113 games, and earned the 2014-15 Big West Freshman of the Year, 2015-16 All-Big West Honorable Mention and 2017-18 All-Big West Second Team accolades.
"Gabe loves the game," said current UC Santa Barbara head coach Joe Pasternack who mentored Vincent as a senior. "(Gabe) was always in the gym working on his craft, an incredible competitor and the hardest worker on our team."
After playing for UC Santa Barbara, the Modesto, Calif. native did not get selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, but impressed scouts enough in a pre-draft workout to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Sacramento Kings. Vincent was waived by the top club a few days later and played two seasons with the team's G-League affiliate, the Stockton Kings. After averaging 23.4 points per game for the team and winning the G-League's Most Improved Player award in the 2019-20 season, Vincent was offered a two-way contract with the Miami Heat. The former Gaucho signed a standard NBA contract with the Heat before the 2020-21 season and has been a mainstay in their rotation since. During game three of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Vincent scored a career-high (regular season and playoff) 29 points to give the Heat a 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics.
On the other side of the ball, the Denver Nuggets tipped-off its 2022-23 campaign with a
preseason training camp at UC San Diego's LionTree Arena.
Big West Alums That Have Played in NBA Finals
| Name |
Year |
NBA Team |
Big West School |
| Glenn McDonald |
1976 |
Boston Celtics |
Long Beach State ('74) |
| Bob Gross |
1977 |
Portland Trailblazers |
Long Beach State ('75) |
| Conner Henry |
1987 |
Boston Celtics |
UC Santa Barbara ('86) |
| Craig Hodges |
1991, 1992 |
Chicago Bulls |
Long Beach State ('82) |
| Greg Anthony |
1994 |
New York Knicks |
UNLV ('91) |
| Scott Brooks |
1994 |
Houston Rockets |
UC Irvine ('87) |
| Randy Brown |
1996, 1997, 1998 |
Chicago Bulls |
New Mexico State ('91) |
| Bryon Russell |
1997, 1998, 2004 |
Utah Jazz/Los Angeles Lakers |
Long Beach State ('93) |
| Larry Johnson |
1999 |
New York Knicks |
UNLV ('91) |
| Bryan Shaw |
2000, 2001, 2002 |
Los Angeles Lakers |
UC Santa Barbara ('88) |
| JR Rider |
2001 |
Los Angeles Lakers |
UNLV ('93) |
| Lucious Harris |
2003 |
New Jersey Nets |
Long Beach State ('93) |
| Bruce Bowen |
2003, 2005, 2007 |
San Antonio Spurs |
Cal State Fullerton ('93) |
| Gabe Vincent |
2023 |
Miami Heat |
UC Santa Barbara ('18) |
2023 NBA Finals Schedule
| Game No. |
Home Team |
Away Team |
Tip-Off Time |
| Game 1 |
Heat |
Nuggets |
June 1, 5:30 p.m. PT |
| Game 2 |
Heat |
Nuggets |
June 4, 5 p.m. PT |
| Game 3 |
Nuggets |
Heat |
June 7, 5:30 p.m. PT |
| Game 4 |
Nuggets |
Heat |
June 9, 5:30 p.m. PT |
| Game 5 (if necessary) |
Heat |
Nuggets |
June 12, 5:30 p.m. PT |
| Game 6 (if necessary) |
Nuggets |
Heat |
June 15, 5:30 p.m. PT |
| Game 7 (if necessary) |
Heat |
Nuggets |
June 18, 5 p.m. PT |