There had been no guarantees for Hamdiou Diallo.
He'd left Kentucky after a year projected outside the first round of the June NBA Draft, and even after Brooklyn took him 45th in the second round — and he ultimately was traded to the Thunder via the Charlotte Hornets — there were few assurances.
He got one last week, signing a three-year contract with the Thunder, a moment he said “was definitely a relief” when he met with reporters Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky.
“Definitely signing the contract was like a blessing,” Diallo said in a news conference prior to his appearance at the John Calipari Draft Academy camp.