On Friday night, ten legendary Pitt Panthers joined the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame.
That list included hooper DeJuan Blair, who was the lone men’s basketball player to make this year’s loaded class.
Blair played at Pitt for two seasons from 2007-09. In his second and final season in the blue and gold, he averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, earning AP First Team All-American honors for that year.
DeJuan Blair emerged from Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District to become one of the most dominant players in @Pitt_MBB history.
A consensus All-American & Big East Co-Player of the Year in ’09, he led the Panthers to an Elite Eight finish & their first-ever No. 1 ranking! pic.twitter.com/uZwaSIAC5x
— Pitt Panthers (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) September 14, 2024
Pitt legend DeJuan Blair with current head coach Jeff Capel at Pitt basketball practice, via the Pitt MBB Instagram account.
Blair was drafted as the No. 37 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, who he would play for for the first four years of his professional career. He went on to play seven seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game throughout his career.
Blair joined legendary Panthers Dick Groat, Bill Hillgrove, Amy Jackson, Brianna Kiesel, George McLaren, Jamie Pelusi, Darrelle Revis, Al Romano, and Steve Lewis in the Hall of Fame’s class of 2024.
Pitt highlighted each of the inductees with a bio. See Blair’s below.
DeJuan Blair | Men’s Basketball | 2007-09
A product of Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District who lived a mere 600 yards from the Petersen Events Center, Blair is one of the most dominant and decorated players in the history of Pitt basketball. A 6-foot-7 center, he bullied taller opponents with a rugged and relentless style. Blair averaged a double-double (15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds) during his final collegiate season, leading the Panthers to a 31-5 record and the Elite Eight of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Pitt twice ascended to its first-ever No. 1 national ranking that season. Blair was a 2009 consensus All-American—becoming the first Pitt basketball player to earn that stature since Don Hennon in 1959—and the Big East’s Co-Player of the Year. He burst onto the scene as a freshman, averaging 11.6 points and 9.1 boards, to earn 2008 Big East Co-Rookie of the Year and Freshman All-America accolades. Blair’s play lifted Pitt to the 2008 Big East Tournament title. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2009 NBA Draft and later played with the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards over a seven-year pro career.
