The John Calipari era at Kentucky ended earlier this spring when he took over as coach at Arkansas after 15 years in the Bluegrass State. Calipari departs UK having produced some of the top recruiting classes in the modern era and dozens of players selected in the NBA Draft.
During his time with the program, Calipari produced 35 first-rounders, 23 lottery picks, and three No. 1 overall selections in NBA Drafts from 2010 onward. With Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard projected as lottery picks during the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday, that number should grow before Calipari officially coaches a game as the head man at Arkansas.
Sheppard is ranked No. 3 in CBS Sports’ final NBA Draft Prospect Rankings, while Dillingham finished four spots behind him at No. 7. Another member of Kentucky’s star-studded 2023 recruiting class – Justin Edwards – ranked No. 30 on the final big board and could also sneak into the end of the first round.
Calipari’s first recruiting class at Kentucky produced three lottery picks: John Wall (No. 1 overall), DeMarcus Cousins (No. 5), and Patrick Patterson (No. 14). Wall, Anthony Davis (2012), and Karl Anthony-Towns) were players from his tenure that went No. 1 overall. Thirteen of the 15 players on this list are still playing in the NBA, and most are either in their prime or approaching it.
With Sheppard, Dillingham and Edwards set to join the list of Kentucky players drafted, here are the best NBA players who played for Calipari at Kentucky.
Anthony Davis led UK to the 2012 NCAA Tournament title.
Getty Images
1. Anthony Davis
When Davis is at his best, he’s in the conversation for the best big man in the NBA. In his lone season at Kentucky during the 2011-12 campaign, he put up monster numbers that also have him in the…
..
