SGA leads the way for former Cats in the NBA.
The NBA season begins anew on Tuesday night, and the Kentucky men’s basketball program finds itself in familiar territory with a nation-leading 29 players on NBA opening-day rosters.
It marks the 13th consecutive season in which the Wildcats have paced the nation in terms of their alumni contingent in the league. The total of 29 players is based off the NBA’s official opening-day roster list and includes all two-way and inactive players.
Duke (24 players) is the only other school with at least 20 representatives on a roster heading into the 2024-25 season.
The Southeastern Conference leads all collegiate conferences with 92 players on opening day rosters. The Atlantic Coast Conference is second with 75.
Of the 30 NBA franchises, 20 feature at least one player out of Kentucky, while eight have multiple Wildcats. The Sacramento Kings lead the league with three UK products on their roster, while the 76ers, Heat, Knicks, Lakers, Pelicans, Suns and Thunder each have two.
A group of four Cats from last year’s Kentucky team joins the NBA ranks this season, led by top-10 draft picks Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.
Kentucky’s NBA contingent enters the 2024-25 season with significant momentum. Last year, a record-breaking seven UK players earned NBA All-Star nods, while three were selected to All-NBA teams. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished as the runner up for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, while Tyrese Maxey was named the KIA Most Improved Player. Maxey also received the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award and Karl-Anthony Towns was chosen as the recipient of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award.
Wildcats in the NBA
- Bam Adebayo – Miami Heat
- Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
- Brandon Boston Jr. – New Orleans Pelicans
- Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers
- Rob Dillingham – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Justin Edwards – Philadelphia 76ers
- De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
- Tyler Herro – Miami Heat
- Isaiah Jackson – Indiana Pacers
- Keldon Johnson – San Antonio Spurs
- Chris Livingston – Milwaukee Bucks
- Trey Lyles – Sacramento Kings
- Tyrese Maxey – Philadelphia 76ers
- Malik Monk – Sacramento Kings
- Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets
- Immanuel Quickley – Toronto Raptors
- Julius Randle – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Antonio Reeves – New Orleans Pelicans
- Nick Richards – Charlotte Hornets
- Shaedon Sharpe – Portland Trail Blazers
- Reed Sheppard – Houston Rockets
- Jacob Toppin – New York Knicks
- Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks
- Oscar Tshiebwe – Utah Jazz
- Jarred Vanderbilt – Los Angeles Lakers
- Cason Wallace – Oklahoma City Thunder
- PJ Washington – Dallas Mavericks
- TyTy Washington Jr. – Phoenix Suns