In the aftermath of the controversial move by two Michigan players standing at midcourt trying to prevent Michigan State basketball seniors from kissing the Spartan logo.
And the ensuing tone deaf response from head coach Dusty May pleading ignorance of the program tradition, I began to think about all of the Spartan basketball players who have come through the program in the last 30 years.
Here is my view on the top 10 moments of Spartans kissing the Block S or Spartan logo at midcourt.
1. Shawn Respert (1995)
The OG. The one who started it all. Shawn Respert wrapped up his Spartan career as the school’s all-time leading scorer, and second leading scorer in Big Ten history.
After missing all of a redshirt season due to a knee injury suffered in high school, Respert started all but one game over the next four years. His Spartan career came to an end with a devastating upset loss to Weber State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But before that, he gave Spartan fans a lasting memory of his time wearing the Green and White, when he kissed the Block S at midcourt.
2. Mateen Cleaves (2000)
On many levels, Mateen Cleaves is just as responsible for this tradition as Respert. Contrary to what some may think, after he smooched the court in 1995, it was not something that continued for the first years of Tom Izzo’s tenure. It wasn’t until Cleaves was subbed out and made a direct line for midcourt in a 51-point decimation of Michigan in 2000 that the tradition really gained legs.
In that game, Cleaves set a new Big Ten record with 20 assists, a record that still holds today. He finished his career as the Big Ten career assists leader, won four Big Ten championships, and experienced his “One Shining Moment” with Izzo after a national championship win over Florida.
3. Cassius Winston (2020)
The only reason Cassius Winston isn’t ranked 2B alongside Mateen is due to the fact he wasn’t allowed to go on his tournament run as a senior due to COVID-19 shutting down the world just as the Big Ten Tournament was getting started. Winston led the Spartans to three straight Big Ten titles, and passed Cleaves to become the new conference leader in career assists. His senior day moment means even more now than it did at the time, given that it was the last time we were able to see him don the green and white.
4. Adreian Payne (2014)
Adreian Payne, along with Keith Appling, has the unfortunate designation of being the first four-year players under Tom Izzo to not make it to the Final Four. And they came so close, blowing a second half lead in the Elite Eight to eventual champion UConn. Payne’s senior day was memorable not just for commemorating his Spartan career, but because he was able to celebrate with (Princess) Lacey Holsworth, who passed away from her battle with cancer just over a month after that moment.
5. Steven Izzo (2024)
This one is a bit of an outlier, but Spartan fans can’t deny how special of a moment it was to see Steven Izzo kiss the Spartan logo. He doesn’t have anywhere near the accolades as the other Michigan State players on this list, but his impact on the program did not go unnoticed.
Izzo spoke many times about how didn’t care what people outside the program thought about having his son on the team as a walk-on, he had the chance to spend time with his son after having to miss so much family time being married to the job. His and-one basket against Rutgers may have been the loudest the Breslin Center has ever gotten. But to see the emotion on Tom and Steven’s faces on senior day was truly special.
6. Denzel Valentine (2016)
This one may be getting a slight rankings bump due to the fact that it is the only senior day game that I was able to attend in person. Denzel Valentine was a local kid from Lansing, and his dad was a Spartan as well.
Though he didn’t win any regular season Big Ten titles, he was a part of two conference tournament championship teams. He also shared the senior day moment with high school teammate Bryn Forbes, who transferred into MSU after two years at Cleveland State. The pair won two state titles together at Lansing Sexton, and were primed for a tournament run in 2016, that is until a pesky bunch of Blue Raiders from Middle Tennessee State got in the way.
7. Lourawls (Tum Tum) Nairn (2018)
Izzo shares an embrace with all of his seniors that come off the floor in their final home home, but something just felt different with Nairn. While point guards before and after him were seen as coaches on the floor, he was the true definition of a leader. Nairn didn’t contribute much in the box scores with points, and his assists numbers were lower than the typical point guards in Izzo’s system, but he ran the show for the team as a three-year team captain. His leadership from his playing days has transitioned into a blossoming coaching career as well. After spending a year as a graduate at MSU, he has risen to the associate head coach at Bowling Green.
8. Draymond Green (2012)
Probably the only reason Draymond Green isn’t higher on this list is because it was the last senior day in which the Spartans lost the game. Green had a remarkable career in East Lansing, and he absolutely left his stamp on the program. Before the Michigan game his senior year, Green was dealing with injuries and was asked what it would take for him to miss a game like this. His one-word answer of “death” further endeared him to all Spartan fans. But having to celebrate senior day after a loss put a bad taste in one’s mouth for sure.
9. Jaden Akins (2025)
This may be a bit of recency bias, but I have to include Jaden Akins on this list because of not only the shoving that took place beforehand, but also because of the heavy criticism he has received over the course of his career from many within the Spartan fanbase.
Fans were disappointed that Akins was seen as the reason a former highly-rated recruit flipped his commitment away from Michigan State, and were claiming that one year of that recruit would be better than four years of Akins. We also had to listen to supposed “insiders” claim Akins wanted to transfer to Michigan. Through all the criticism and shooting slumps, Akins got to live his childhood dream of playing basketball for Michigan State, and has gone out as a Big Ten champion, still looking for more in the coming weeks.
10. Kalin Lucas (2011)
It seems as though Kalin Lucas will forever be remembered not as much for what he accomplished at Michigan State, but for the ruptured Achilles that many feel prevented the Spartans from winning Tom Izzo’s second national title. He returned for his senior year following the injury, but was visibly not the same player as he was before. His senior season was filled with ups and downs, and ended with a .500 conference record. On his senior day, many were forced to think of what could have been.