LEXINGTON – During John Calipari’s decade-plus as Kentucky's basketball coach, the program has turned into an NBA factory.
Since Calipari’s first season in Lexington in 2009-10, UK has produced 38 NBA draft picks, 29 first-round selections, 21 lottery picks and three No. 1 selections. Despite that unprecedented draft success, no Calipari-coached UK player has won an NBA championship.
That will change sometime in the next two weeks, with former Calipari players playing key roles for both the remaining teams in the NBA playoffs.
“The environment here, everything about it is preparing them for the NBA,” Calipari said Wednesday.