In our quest to find the 5 best NBA players from Kentucky Wildcats we have discovered some fascinating facts and been reminded of some fabulous players.
Since its inception in 1903, The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team has played an important role in American basketball over the years.
And that’s not just the players. The Wildcats have 5 different coaches that took the team on to NCAA Tournament wins. 8 times between them.
From Adolph Rupp, the four-time winner who spent a staggering 42 years as the head coach, to John Calipari, the most recent winner in 2012.
The University has always prided itself on having one of the best basketball programs in college basketball. This has been exemplified and enhanced by the attitude and actions of Calipari. He is a master at spotting players’ strengths and weaknesses and improving them physically and psychologically.
IT IS NO COINCIDENCE THEN THAT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF ACTIVE PLAYERS IN THE NBA WITH 29
Duke University comes in 2nd with 24.
However, the Kentucky Wildcats remain second to Kansas in terms of all-time NCAA Division wins.
It would not be the craziest statement in the world to say that the Kentucky Wildcats are the most successful college basketball team in men’s NCAA history. They certainly have the most wins and highest winning percentage. Does that constitute success? Maybe not in and of itself but that’s not the end of the story.
When we turn to the players, things don’t take a single step backward. In fact, Kentucky holds the record for the most overall NBA Draft selections with 128. Three of those have been 1st pick. They all make our list.
As with all the other articles in this series, the team here at The Jump Hub struggled massively to come up with a final 5 names.
After much discussion and bickering, here we have The Jump Hub’s list in no discernible order that we can agree on.
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THE 5 BEST NBA PLAYERS FROM THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS:
ANTHONY DAVIS
Born – March 11th, 1993 – Chicago, Illinois – age 29
Positions – Power forward, center
Measurements – 6’10” (2.08m) – 253lb (114kg)
Years at Kentucky – 2011 – 12
NBA Draft – 1st pick, 2012 – New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans)
NBA Debut – October 31st, 2012
Career length – 9 years (ongoing)
COLLEGE CAREER
Anthony Davis is, without doubt, one of the 5 greatest players ever to come through the Kentucky Wildcat program.
In his lone season at Kentucky, he averaged 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Not Earth-shattering by any means but it was immediately apparent to anybody who watched him play that this was a guy with a long NBA career ahead of him and an All-Star in the making.
Check out his list of awards and accolades below and be reminded how stats can’t tell us everything…
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Anthony Davis was chosen 1st pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets and was impressive right off the bat.
After 7 seasons with the Hornets (who became the Pelicans in his 2nd year), Davis moved to the Los Angeles Lakers. He became an NBA champion that same season (2019/20)
Many more astute and knowledgable pundits than us consider Anthony Davis to be one of the current top 5 NBA players and a potential MVP. We are not overly inclined to argue. Few would disagree that he deserves his place on a list of the best-ever NBA players from Kentucky University.
Davis’s stats have all improved since he turned professional.
STATS (CAREER AVERAGES PER GAME)
Games – 604
Points – 23.8
Rebounds – 10.2
Assists – 2.3
Field goal percentage – 51.5%
3-point percentage- 30.3%
Free throw percentage – 79.4%
Player efficiency rating – 26.9%
Davis now has a five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers and the future could not look brighter but for one thorn in his side…
During the 2020/21 season, Davis missed 30 games due to calf and heel issues. Things have gone from bad to worse as a string of separate injuries have kept him off the court in key matchups. So much so, in fact, that he missed selection for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game for the first time since 2013.
A worrying sign…
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
NBA Champion – 2020
8× NBA All-Star – 2014-’21
NBA All-Star game MVP – 2017
4× All-NBA First Team – 2015, ’17, ’18, ’20
2× NBA All-Defensive First Team – 2018, ’20
3× NBA blocks leader – 2014, ’15, ’18
2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team – 2015, ’17
NBA All-Rookie First Team – 2013
NBA 75th Anniversary Team
NCAA Champion – 2012
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player – 2012
National College Player of the Year – 2012
Consensus first-team All-American – 2012
SEC Player of the Year – 2012
NCAA blocks leader – 2012
SEC Defensive Player of the Year – 2012
SEC Rookie of the Year – 2012
First-team Parade All-American – 2011
JOHN WALL
Born – September 6th, 1990 – Raleigh, North Carolina – age 31
Position – Point guard
Measurements – 6’3″ (1.90m) – 210lb (95kg)
Years at Kentucky – 2009-10
NBA Draft – 1st pick, 2010 – Washington Wizards
NBA Debut – October 28th, 2010
Career length – 12 years (ongoing – 2 years sidelined by injuries)
John Wall, very much under the guidance of genius head coach Calipari, helped was another superb NCAA player to make it to the NBA.
COLLEGE CAREER
Wall’s time at Kentucky, albeit brief, was tainted somewhat by a scandal involving allegations of tampering that reared its head while he was there. Kentucky came up short in the Elite Eight that season and it was not a great year overall However, John Wall did not allow this to scupper his chances of success and rose above the mire.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. left Kentucky after just his freshman year, when he had averaged 16.6 points and 6.5 assists per game.
He was picked 1st overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards and operated as point guard.
John Wall is a five-time NBA All-Star and is certainly one of the most successful former Wildcats. He has an intuitive feel for the game. Even though he is an exceptional scorer, he is a playmaker for others as much as anything else. Some argue that he is among the best playmakers in the league. His 9.1 assists per game are a testament to that.
STATS (CAREER AVERAGES PER GAME)
Games – 613
Points – 19.1
Rebounds – 4.3
Assists – 9.1
Field goal percentage – 43.1%
3-point percentage- 32.3%
Free throw percentage – 77.9%
Player efficiency rating – 19.2%
John Wall’s major issue is that he has been sidelined for 2 full seasons due to injuries. After missing the whole of 2019/20, Wall was traded from the Wizards, having spent 9 seasons in Washington.
Houston Rockets were the team he went to. He promptly recorded his 8th career triple-double (and first since 2016), taking 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a single game. Sadly, after 40 games with the Rockets, injury struck again and he sat out the season from April onwards and has not featured since.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
5× NBA All-Star – 2014-’18
All-NBA Third Team – 2017
NBA All-Defensive Second Team – 2015
NBA All-Rookie First Team – 2011
Adolph Rupp Trophy – 2010
NBA Slam Dunk Contest Winner – 2014
Consensus first-team All-American – 2010
SEC Player of the Year – 2010
FRANK RAMSEY
Born – July 13th, 1931 – Corydon, Kentucky
Died – July 8th, 2018 – aged 86 – RIP
Positions – Shooting guard, small forward
Measurements – 6’3 (1.90m) – 190lb (86kg)
Years at Kentucky – 1950 – 1954
NBA Draft – 6th pick, 1953 – Boston Celtics
NBA Debut – October 30th, 1954
Career length – 9 years
Hall of Fame – Inducted 1982
One of only 3 players in Wildcat history to win multiple NBA titles, Frank Ramsey also won the NCAA tournament with Kentucky.
COLLEGE CAREER
Frank Ramsey played for the Kentucky Wildcats under the legendary if controversial Adolph Rupp. The team won the NCAA title in 1952 but that was not the major story of that year…
A huge scandal rocked the college basketball world and Kentucky was implicated in it. In fact, the college was forced to forfeit the entire following season (Ramsey’s senior year) as a result.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Only three former Wildcats have won multiple titles in the NBA.
Frank Ramsey won a, simply astonishing, 7 of them in just 9 years in the NBA with the Boston Celtics.
After his rookie season, Ramsey spent a year doing his military service and then returned to be a keystone of Red Auerbach‘s all-conquering Celtics.
Together with the legendary head coach, Ramsey introduced what became known as the Sixth Man concept. From this position, Ramsey played alongside such colossuses of the game as Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, and many others.
His No. 23 jersey was retired by the Boston Celtics and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Games – 623
Points – 13.4
Rebounds – 5.5
Assists – 1.8
Field goal percentage – 39.9%
Free throw percentage – 80.4%
Player efficiency rating – 15.6%
Times were different back then, of course. The chances of any team winning 9 NBA titles in as many years are virtually nil. But that is not to the detriment of the game. It merely represents the fact that standards have rocketed over the years and the league is more competitive than ever.
However we view the accomplishments of the past when compared to modern times, that is not to take anything away from the achievements of players like Frank Ramsey. It must be acknowledged that he had a remarkable career. Players in those times pioneered skills and techniques that are routine in modern basketball. They showed the dizzy heights that could be reached with hard work and dedication.
We salute you, sir.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
7× NBA Champion – 1957, ’59-’64
NCAA Champion – 1951
Consensus second-team All-American – 1954
Second-team All-American – 1952
Third-team All-American – 1951
Jersey number 23 retired by Boston Celtics
Hall of Fame inductee
RAJON RONDO
Born – February 22nd, 1986 – Louisville, Kentucky – age 36
Positions – Point guard
Measurements – 6’1 (1.85m) – 180lb (81kg)
Years at Kentucky – 2004 – 2006
NBA Draft – 21st pick, 2006 – Phoenix Suns (traded to Boston Celtics)
NBA Debut – November 1st, 2006
Career length – 15 years (ongoing)
COLLEGE CAREER
Native Kentuckian Rondo chose to spend 2 years with the Wildcats after finishing his high school career at the prestigious Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
Rondo helped the Kentucky Wildcats to several wins, setting a college record for most steals ina. season along the way. Collectively, however, they failed to perform impressively during this period. Nevertheless, Rondo shone enough to be picked up 21st in the NBA Draft.
He left Kentucky after a sophomore season in which he averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists and was named to the U.S. men’s national under-21 basketball team.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Games – 957
Points – 9.8
Rebounds – 4.5
Assists – 7.9
Field goal percentage – 45.6%
3-point percentage – 32.4%
Free throw percentage – 62.1%
Player efficiency rating – 15.8%
Rajon Pierre Rondo was part of the Celtics team that brought home the NBA title in his second NBA season. As point guard, Rondo became a superb distributor but never really added high-scoring potential to his arsenal. He is known for being tough and tenacious on the court.
He is one of only 3 former Wildcats to win multiple NBA titles when he claimed another in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
2× NBA Champion – 2008, ’20
4× NBA All-Star – 2010-’13
All-NBA Third Team – 2012
2× NBA All-Defensive First Team – 2010, ’11
2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team – 2009, ’12
3× NBA Assists Leader – 2012, ’13, ’16
NBA Steals Leader – 2010
NBA All-Rookie Second Team – 2007
SEC All-Freshman Team – 2005
Second-team Parade All-American – 2004
DEVIN BOOKER
Born – October 30th, 1996 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – age 25
Position – Shooting guard
Measurements – 6’5 (1.96m) – 206lb (93kg)
Years at Kentucky – 2014 – 2015
NBA Draft – 13th pick, 2015 – Phoenix Suns
NBA Debut – October 28th, 2015
Career length – 6 years (ongoing)
Devin Booker’s NBA story is, perhaps still too new for him to be on this list. But we told you that it was not a scientific study.
Booker and the Phoenix Suns fell short in the 2021 NBA Finals, but we get the feeling that he is destined for great things as a professional.
COLLEGE CAREER
Devin Booker is the son of former Missouri point guard Melvin Booker. He was highly sought after at high school and, much like Anthony Davis, was already a name when he arrived in Kentucky. Not just because of his dad.
His stint at Kentucky college was a brief, fallow one, but across 38 games for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2014/15, Devin Booker averaged the following:
21.5 minutes per game
10.0 points
2.0 rebounds
1.1 assists
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Perhaps due to the lack of substantial honors from his short time at college, Booker dropped to 13th place in the 2015 Draft.
That seems like a great grab for the Phoenix Suns right now and Booker has gone from strength to strength.
Devin Booker is currently one of the most reliable scorers in the NBA. He has begun to feature in NBA All-Star teams regularly and has been putting down some seriously impressive averages. His accuracy from the free-throw line is so good as to be game-changing and he is consistent right across the board.
Games – 477
Points – 23.5
Rebounds – 3.9
Assists – 4.7
Field goal percentage – 45.7%
3-point percentage – 35.7%
Free throw percentage – 87%
Player efficiency rating – 18%
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
3× NBA All-Star – 2020-’22
NBA All-Rookie First Team – 2016
NBA 3-Point Contest Champion – 2018
SEC Sixth Man of the Year – 2015
Second-team All-SEC – 2015
SEC All-Freshmen Team – 2015
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Some of these players could easily be considered among the top 5 best NBA players to have spent time with the Kentucky Wildcats.
But what can you do?
DeMarcus Cousins
Games – 654
Points – 19.6
Rebounds – 10.2
Assists – 3.0
Field goal percentage – 46%
3-point percentage – 33.1%
Free throw percentage – 73.7%
Player efficiency rating – 22%
Jamal Mashburn
Games – 611
Points – 19.1
Rebounds – 5.4
Assists – 4.0
Field goal percentage – 41.8%
3-point percentage – 34.5%
Free throw percentage – 76.6%
Player efficiency rating – 15.7%
Tayshaun Prince
Games – 1,017
Points – 11.1
Rebounds – 4.3
Assists – 2.4
Field goal percentage – 45.5%
3-point percentage – 36.7%
Free throw percentage – 75.6%
Player efficiency rating – 13.7%
Karl-Anthony Towns
Games – 482
Points – 23.2
Rebounds – 11.3
Assists – 3.1
Field goal percentage – 52.7%
3-point percentage – 39.7%
Free throw percentage – 83.3%
Player efficiency rating – 24.7%
EMERGING STAR PLAYERS
We have added the section to cover the players we feel haven’t played enough games in the NBA to truly show their mettle. They represent some of the best and brightest and may go on to be world-beaters.
Bam Adebayo
Games – 343
Points – 13.5
Rebounds – 8.3
Assists – 3.5
Field goal percentage – 55.8%
3-point percentage – 14%
Free throw percentage – 74.1%
Player efficiency rating – 20%
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Games – 243
Points – 18.2
Rebounds – 4.5
Assists – 4.3
Field goal percentage – 47.3%
3-point percentage – 34.8%
Free throw percentage – 80.7%
Player efficiency rating – 17.9%
De’Aaron Fox
Games – 322
Points – 19.1
Rebounds – 3.5
Assists – 6.2
Field goal percentage – 46.2%
3-point percentage – 32%
Free throw percentage – 72.5%
Player efficiency rating – 17.5%
Jamal Murray
Games – 345
Points – 16.3
Rebounds – 3.6
Assists – 3.8
Field goal percentage – 44.6%
3-point percentage – 36.7%
Free throw percentage – 87.8%
Player efficiency rating – 16%
FINAL THOUGHTS
So that’s our completely biased list of the best players ever to join NBA teams from Kentucky. All have made NBA All-Star Team appearances and there are more than a few NBA Championship rings between them.
Choosing the best athletes is a curious business. It is almost impossible to ignore legends and stories, feelings, and personal heroes.
NBA history is too long and rich to be able to compare players fairly. Rules have changed. Systems have come and gone. Those early players who were expected to play every minute of every available game were burned out after a few short years.
Agree or disagree, we hope you have enjoyed seeing our own favorite Kentucky players that rose above the rest and became outstanding NBA players in their own right.
Check out our other college lists for:
