A high school basketball All-American, he was a center for the UCLA Bruins on their 1995 national championship team.
[3] He broke the tournament scoring record for boys high school basketball in Washington State.
He opted out of his UCLA scholarship in 1996 after having spent the 1995–96 season as a reserve with 20 appearances (0 starts and 11.6 minutes per game)[6] and transferred to Pepperdine University.
He was suspended for two games by Pepperdine's coach Lorenzo Romar in January 1998 after punching and breaking the jaw of teammate Aaron Butler at practice.
[9] Givens played for Magic City Snowbears in the International Basketball Association during the 1998–1999 season, averaging 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds, leading the team to home-court advantage in the IBA playoffs.