Josh Hubbard is celebrating a big week after logging a career-high 46 points versus Auburn on Wednesday night and being recognized off the court as a community servant.
A standout guard for Mississippi State, Hubbard is the 2026 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup recipient. The award, named after 10-time national championship-winning former UCLA frontman John Wooden, honors student-athletes who “emphasize integrity, teamwork, academic excellence, and servant leadership both on and off the court.”
In the name, image, and likeness era of college athletics, Hubbard has put much of his compensation to good use. The junior founded The Josh Hubbard Showcase, a basketball camp which has hosted around 200 aspiring athletes in his hometown of Madison and awarded approximately $40,000 in scholarship money over the last two years.
Hubbard partnered with Make A Wish Mississippi for the 2025-26 season, launching the “Buckets for Wishes” campaign where every 3-point shot he makes results in donations from sponsors and donors, directly funding wishes for children in Mississippi. So far, he’s knocked down 78 triples. He has made multiple appearances with the organization and invited multiple children to games during the season.
The star spent an afternoon this past December handing out close to 100 gifts he purchased at Children’s of Mississippi, the same hospital where he was a patient for 19 days at 9 years old in September 2014. As a child, he was diagnosed and treated for Kawasaki disease, a condition causing inflammation in the walls of some blood vessels. In November, Hubbard teamed with his showcase, Aerus, and US Foods to help provide meals and donations to Ballas Family Community Kitchen, which serves 200 plates a day to the Greenwood community.
“This award means a lot to our program because it recognizes who Josh is at his core,” Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans said. “He cares about people, he works at his academics, and he leads with humility. Being honored in Coach John Wooden’s name is special, and it couldn’t happen to a more deserving young man. We’re proud of him, and we’re thankful for the way he represents Mississippi State on and off the court.”
Hubbard also worked closely with Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann on a public awareness effort and campaign to reduce rates of chronic absenteeism among school children last spring. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, or more than 18 days, for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions. Hosemann, on a crusade to get children in the classroom consistently, leaned on Hubbard as a motivational voice for Mississippi’s youth.
“Josh is a true embodiment of what makes Mississippi special — not only in athletics, but in character,” Hosemann wrote on X. “I was honored to give my highest recommendation for Josh Hubbard for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup. This recognition comes as no surprise (just like 35 points in the first half), and we couldn’t be more proud.”
The award will be formally presented on Mississippi State’s campus prior to the team’s Feb. 28 home matchup against Missouri