Before an 18-year NBA career with six All-Star and three All-NBA selections, Indiana Pacers great Jermaine O’Neal came close to attending the University of Kentucky.
A two-time Parade High School All-American from Columbia, South Carolina, O’Neal instead chose to follow a new path laid before him by another South Carolinian, Kevin Garnett, one year earlier. Garnett was the first high school player to declare for the NBA Draft in two decades and was named Second Team All-Rookie one year removed from high school graduation.
The following summer, Jermaine O’Neal was picked in the first round out of Eau Claire High School and became the youngest player to ever play in an NBA game.