Rumors

Pat Riley and other members of that 1965-66 squad, known affectionately as "Rupp's Runts," were recognized during halftime of Saturday's game versus Mississippi State at Rupp Arena. "One of the greatest experiences I've ever had was to be here in Lexington at the University of Kentucky," said Riley, who addressed the crowd at the end of the ceremony.

Louisville Courier-Journal

UK coach Mark Pope only had one in-person experience with Riley. One he'll never forget. "We were finishing shootaround, and Miami was coming in. I can’t remember if it was (a) home (game). I can’t even remember what team I was (on)," Pope said. "But there was somebody on the (Miami) team that I was kind of friendly with, so I was kind of talking to him. Like, we were laughing a little bit. And then I looked over, and Riles was standing in the tunnel, and he was peering at me like he just — his eyes were ripping a hole right through me. So, I got off the court right away. Like, he didn’t joke around, right? He’s been just one of the great leaders in this game, and he’s obviously represented the University of Kentucky in a magnificent way, and we’re blessed to have him."

Louisville Courier-Journal

Such a rise to stardom for Gilgeous-Alexander is stunning if you consider he was the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft and he was traded by the Los Angeles Clippers after his rookie season. The former University of Kentucky star said the first individual award that really meant something to him was being named the MVP of the 2018 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball tournament after leading the Wildcats to a title. “I played a pretty good tournament. That was my coming-out party as a collegiate player,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Andscape. “I kind of knew after that I was going to enter the draft.”

Andscape

Duane Rankin: University of Kentucky forward Jaxson Robinson hasn't had many NBA pre-draft workouts. Season-ending wrist injury that required surgery. Had two visits so far: Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. Robinson said he has 4 more with one being with the Phoenix Suns. #Suns pic.x.com/hV7mcb7XvM

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It's safe to say Gilgeous-Alexander had quite a come-up in high school, but it was deeper than simply eventually earning a spot at the University of Kentucky. This week, he described a lesson he learned in high school, one that came to be a defining characteristic in his life. The power of calm. "I used to be a kid that got mad and threw the ball around the court over a pickup game," he said. "My coaches taught me the older you get, the less you get away with things like that." "To be the guy I want to be, I can't behave like that because it will translate to the rest of my team. That lesson always stuck with me. I still have [that fire], I still feel it. I just understand not to let it show, and it kind of weaponized it for myself. Showing [your emotion] gives your opponent a weapon as well."

ESPN

Yahoo Sports: Former NBA All-Star Rajon Rondo graduated from the University of Kentucky today with a BA in Communication 🎓 Rondo starred for the Wildcats from 2004-06.

x.com

There were clues that supported Wechsler's intuition. Pelinka and Johnson had taken Johnson's private jet to scout Ball when he played against De'Aaron Fox and the University of Kentucky, sources told ESPN. The Lakers' brass had also seen Ball for two workouts -- one at the team's facility and another in his hometown in nearby Chino Hills -- which was the maximum allowed. And all of their workouts with other top prospects were with guards, not forwards, sources said. They worked out Fox, Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr. and Josh Jackson (considered a swingman who could play the 2 or the 3). They didn't work out Lauri Markkanen or Jonathan Isaac, another Wechsler client.

ESPN

Of course, if every second-generation player was selected No. 1 overall (like, say, Andrew Wiggins, whose father, Mitchell, played six seasons in the league), we’d expect them to outperform their non-legacy peers. But even once we account for draft slot, the second-gen draftees shine above the rest, outperforming the expected value at their draft slot by a whopping 30%. The legacy draftees, based on where they were drafted, were on average expected to generate 1.65 annual win shares in their NBA careers, the equivalent caliber of the 16th pick. Instead, they yielded 2.15, a 30% bump, which was more indicative of a No. 10 pick. Said another way, players with NBA bloodlines have performed six slots better than their actual draft spot. How impressive is that? Consider this: a 30% edge for legacy picks was larger than any college program in the study that sent at least 25 draftees to the league — even higher than the University of Kentucky (+26 percent).

Yahoo! Sports

Mary Schmitt Boyer/Jodie Valade: Sources tell cleveland.com that Chris Livingston – an Akron native who entered the draft after playing one season at the University of Kentucky – is scheduled to work out for the Cavs next week. More here: l.cleveland.com/ewOTmG Photo: AP pic.twitter.com/Cl0w0OH77U

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Nobody knew nearly a decade ago just how much fruit the tree would eventually yield. Not Jokić, who said in an interview during the tournament that he didn’t envision playing in the NBA. Not Murray, who was yet to start his lone college basketball season at the University of Kentucky. Not the coaches who would soon be tasked with trying to crack the code created by one of the best partnerships in the sport. “We talk the (same) language on the court playing,” Murray said. “We just read the game and play off each other. It’s hard to explain. There’s no selfishness.”

The Athletic

Davis said he received an MRI on the foot Dec. 22 and the Lakers shared the imaging with five doctors and foot specialists to determine a recovery plan. One option available to him would be to undergo a procedure to remove the bone spur. One doctor surmised that the bone spur was present in his foot since his college days at the University of Kentucky more than a decade ago, it just hadn't caused him any problems. "I don't like surgery," Davis said. "I feel like, if it can be avoided, then let's avoid it."

ESPN

The year of Devin Booker continues, as the Phoenix Suns superstar guard signed an endorsement contract extension with Nike that will carry through 2029 and continue to feature him as a major face of the brand, the company announced Thursday. After first signing with Nike prior to being drafted by Phoenix in 2015 and extending again in 2018, Booker’s newest extension will ensure no less than a 15-year tenure with the Swoosh through 2029. The 25-year-old University of Kentucky phenom and Nike will also work together on creative lifestyle collaborations outside of traditional basketball activations.

boardroom.tv

All-Star forward Khris Middleton and center Brook Lopez appeared Friday on "Jimmy Kimmel Live: NBA Finals Game Night," one of ABC's pregame shows ahead of Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. Middleton played in a game of "College Knowledge," where he was asked to answer trivia questions alongside fellow Texas A&M attendee Deandre Jordan. The pair faced off against former University of Kentucky players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Malik Monk.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Adrian Wojnarowski: University of Kentucky freshman guard TyTy Washington Jr., – a projected lottery pick – will enter the 2022 NBA Draft and hire an agent, he tells ESPN: es.pn/3jcGcII

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