The Kentucky men’s basketball program has heavily infiltrated the NBA ranks over the last decade-plus. Head coach John Calipari has pumped out draft pick after draft pick since arriving in Lexington in 2009, and now you can’t turn on an NBA game without at least one former Wildcat roaming the hardwood. During the 2021-22 season, a total of 23 one-time Kentucky hoopers suited up for an NBA team, which didn’t include injured players such as John Wall and Jamal Murray.
The upcoming 2022-23 season should see that number inch closer to 30.
Over the coming weeks, a group of former Wildcats either already in the league or on the brink of making it big will look to make an impression on front-office executives around the association.