Pat Spencer

Spencer is one of the rare players in NBA history to have won an NCAA championship in a different sport — he captained the Johns Hopkins lacrosse team to the Division III title in 2019 before pivoting full-time to basketball.

He used his remaining college eligibility at Northwestern after completing lacrosse eligibility at Johns Hopkins — a process that required navigating NCAA transfer rules across different sports and divisions.

Lacrosse players are known for their spatial awareness, peripheral vision, and passing accuracy — skills that translate directly to basketball playmaking, and Spencer's court vision has often been attributed to his dual-sport background.

He holds an academic degree from Johns Hopkins University — consistently ranked among the top universities in the world — making him one of the most academically credentialed players on any NBA roster.