John Calipari reveals thoughts on NBA Draft: "It's graduation night"

The Arkansas Razorbacks‘ head basketball coach, John Calipari, will be front and center for the 2024 NBA Draft. The nature of his business at this year’s annual event will be the same as always: to support his former players who are projected to be selected in either round.

Some wondered whether Calipari would be in attendance after making the jump from the University of Kentucky to Arkansas before the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. On Wednesday, while a guest on the Pat McAfee Show, the former Wildcats headman confirmed he would be in attendance for the star-studded event.

“I’ll be at the draft tonight. ‘Why did you go?’ It’s graduation night and I’m gonna go watch the students walk across that stage,” Calipari said. “I’ve done it and I go get a hug, that’s part of the deal. ‘You’re coming with me, but when you get up on that stage, I better get a hug somewhere.’ I’ve had a ball doing it.”

For Calipari, this is a celebration of his players’ achievements in college, similar to a graduation ceremony. As an individual who has helped guide these young men to a chance at playing in the top league of men’s professional basketball, Calipari wouldn’t miss this for the world, regardless of who he is coaching. However, the Arkansas head coach didn’t pass up the opportunity to crack a joke about his attire for the evening.

“I’m gonna wear chains and a wallet and a bracelet,” he said. “I’m coming — wait till you see the shoes! Oh my gosh.”

The former Wildcat players projected to be selected in this year’s NBA draft is the quartet of Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards, Reed Shepherd, and Rob Dillingham. Both Sheppard and Dillingham are projected to be lottery picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. The consensus surrounding Reeves and Edwards is that the veteran guard and former five-star plus recruit wing will likely have until Thursday night to hear their names called.

This year’s NBA draft will follow a different format. Instead of being held in its entirety in one night, the draft has been broken into two nights. Round one will start on Wednesday, June 26, at 7:00 PM CT, and round two will be on Thursday, June 27, and is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM CT. Both can be seen live on ESPN or streamed across the globe using the ESPN app.