Ed O’Bannon is a champion in life, an accomplished mentor, and an agent of change within university athletics.

Ed graduated Artesia high school as a McDonald’s All-American, denoting him as the no. 1 basketball player in the country in 1990.

Post Artesia, Ed was ferociously sought after by a host of powerhouse intuitions prior to accepting his place at the steps of Pauley Pavilion.

While misfortune struck early into his career due to a catastrophic knee injury, Ed perservered, endured the pain, and relied on his grit and determination to win not only the NCAA championship, but obtain recognition as the National Player of the year 1994.

Among his accolades are being: A John Wooden Award recipient, winner of the of the ESPY for Outstanding Player of the Year, and the #9 overall NBA Draft Pick by the New Jersey Nets.

He completed his NBA career within 3 years and continued for another 5 within the European Leagues.

After his basketball career, Ed focused on mentoring youth. While working at a car dealership, he allotted his spare time to coaching several high school programs. Eventually the call to coaching resonated within him. Ed elected to set down his selling suspenders for good to pursue a career as a Juvenile Probation Officer at a reform camp for troubled youth. Using his experiences as an elite athlete, Ed strives to illuminate their potential through hard work and consistency.

Ed has an innate ability to connect with young people and is committed to advocating for young athletes. His mission to impact youth was challenged in 2009 when he agreed to be the lead plaintiff in the O’Bannon vs. NCAA court case. This case resulted in a historic victory that allowed student-athletes to own the rights to their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Prior to the victory, the NCAA had taken away those rights from athletes in perpetuity, which can be seen in the contract whenever an prospective athlete accepts an athletic scholarship.

Ed wrote a book called, “Court Justice-The Inside Story of Battle Against the NCAA.” In this book, he recounts his experiences as a young athlete and the challenges of the court case. He concluded with 12 recommendations for changes within the NCAA system. Although he was not credited, his wisdom was taken seriously because the NCAA made many changes similar to those in the book.

Ed and his wife live in Henderson, Nevada. They enjoy taking walks with their dog, hosting family dinners, and spending time with their grandchildren.