Top NBA Players Who Attended the University of Kentucky: Ultimately, if you aspire to make the NBA, enrolling at the University of Kentucky could be beneficial. In addition to their outstanding NCAA record, the Kentucky Wildcats have the highest number of alumni who have achieved success in the NBA.
With 28 players, including Phoenix Suns Devin Booker and Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis, reaching NBA rosters, the Wildcats are in first place heading into the 2023–24 season.
By producing Karl-Anthony Towns, John Wall, and Anthony Davis, the university made history by producing three NBA Draft first-overall picks.
NBA Record: Most Rebounds in a Single Game
The following Wildcats have achieved significant success in the NBA:
Anthony Davis
Davis amassed numerous honors during his solitary collegiate basketball season with the Wildcats. He guided the group to an NCAA championship and was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. He led the NCAA in rejections as well. Therefore, it is not surprising that the New Orleans Hornets selected him first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.
His tenure in the NBA is equally noteworthy, having been named to the NBA 75th anniversary team, finished third in the league in blocks three times, and been named an NBA All-Star eight times.
Welp. Best college team I’ve ever seen is still the Anthony Davis wildcats
— O’Shea Jackson Jr (@OsheaJacksonJr) March 31, 2019
Karl-Anthony Towns
Kinesiology was Towns’ major while with the Wildcats. After leaving the UK to join the NBA, he took online courses to graduate.
He became NBA Rookie of the Year in 2016 after the Timberwolves drafted him in the first round in 2015. He has three NBA All-Star appearances and won the 2022 three-point contest.
Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns were teammates at Kentucky.
Wednesday, the former Wildcats both reached the 11,000-point plateau together. pic.twitter.com/7uqdR3Pv78
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 24, 2022
John Wall
Wall established the record for the most assists in a single contest with sixteen during his time at Kentucky. He has been honored with induction into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame on account of his accomplishments.
Following his initial selection by the Washington Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft, Wall was subsequently selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2011. Five times, he has also been named to the NBA All-Star team.
DeMarcus Cousins
During their time playing together for Kentucky, Wall and his cousins were formidable opponents. The two players guided the Wildcats to the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Championships. Following a year in the United Kingdom, Cousins entered the 2010 NBA draft, and the Sacramento Kings selected him fifth overall in the first round.
Four times a member of the NBA All-Star team, the 32-year-old also appeared on the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2011.
Rajon Rondo
Rondo spent two seasons as a Kentucky Wildcat before proclaiming his intention to enter the NBA draft. Throughout his tenure at the collegiate institution, he achieved the historic feat of amassing 87 steals in a single season, with each game featuring at least one recovery.
The Phoenix Suns selected him twenty-first overall during the initial round of the 2006 NBA draft. He maintained his stealthy prowess and led the division in 2010. Four times, he has been named an NBA All-Star.
Newest Rockets and old Wildcats teammates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins connect for an early three 👌🏽pic.twitter.com/9Cea3X7HFi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 12, 2020
Devin Booker
During his collegiate career, Booker excelled at converting baskets and established season-high scores. He spent 21.5 minutes per game on average during his 38 seasons with the Wildcats. He voluntarily entered the NBA draft in 2015, and the Phoenix Suns selected him thirteenth overall in the first round.
Since then, the 26-year-old has won the NBA Three-Point Contest, made the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and been an NBA All-Star three times.
