Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year
| Awarded for | the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Accredited Associated Press media voters |
| History | |
| First award | 1961 (men) 1995 (women) |
| Most recent | Cooper Flagg, Duke (men) JuJu Watkins, USC (women) |
The Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year award recognizes the best men's and women's college basketball players of the year in the United States, as voted upon by the Associated Press (AP). The men's award began in 1961 while the women's began in 1995. The AP Player of the Year is one of the major national player of the year awards.
According to APNews.com, "Voting is done at the conclusion of the regular season and before the NCAA tournament starts. Voting is based on regular season performance. The men's panel is made up of 62 media members who regularly cover college basketball and vote in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll. The women's panel consists of 35 media members. The voting panel includes local beat writers at newspapers and broadcast outlets, along with national media."
There have only been two total players, one on each of the men's and women's sides, to be named the AP Player of the Year three times: Ralph Sampson of Virginia (1981–1983), and Breanna Stewart of UConn (2014–2016).