The NBA season begins anew on Tuesday night and Kentucky announced it has 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 school said. 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 (29)
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
Photo: AP
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