Five Wildcats in ESPN’s NBA top 25 under 25

Not only did Kentucky produce the most players on NBA opening night rosters (27), All-Stars (2) and players competing in the NBA Playoffs (10), former Wildcats are also among the league’s brightest young stars.

ESPN NBA Insiders Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz compiled a ballot of the top 25 players under 25 and it included five former UK players, the most of any school for the fifth straight year.

Since 2010, Kentucky players coached by John Calipari have accumulated 28 All-Star appearances, 15 All-Rookie selections, nine All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive Team honors, two 3-Point Contest champions (Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns), two Slam Dunk champions (John Wall, Hamidou Diallo), one Rookie of the Year (Karl-Anthony Towns), one Most Improved Player (Julius Randle), one All-Star MVP, one NBA champion, and one member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team (Anthony Davis).

In the NBA Draft since 2010, no school has produced more No. 1 overall picks (3), top-10 picks (13), lottery picks (21), first round picks (32) and total draft picks (43) than Kentucky. The Wildcats have had at least one player selected in 13 straight NBA Drafts, the longest streak of any school in the country. Of the 70 players who have finished their college careers at Kentucky under Calipari (through the 2020-21 season), 43 were selected in the NBA Draft, a 61.4% success rate.

Calipari-coached Kentucky players have amassed over $3 billion in NBA contracts, including 11 maximum contracts, the most of any school.

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