Shaedon Sharpe reveals ultimate decision-maker behind not playing at Kentucky

Kentucky fans never saw Shaedon Sharpe take the court in a Wildcats uniform after he sat out the season after enrolling in January. He then opted to stay in the 2022 NBA Draft — and he stands by the decision.

Sharpe met the media Friday and defended his decision not to play for John Calipari and Co. He was a five-star recruit out of high school and reclassified to the class of 2021, joining the Kentucky program in January. However, he didn’t play at all despite calls from fans.

Less than a week before the draft, he has no regrets.

“Like I said before, everything happens for a reason,” Sharpe said, via The Lexington Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts. “So I really don’t regret (not) playing. I’m working out for NBA teams now. So I guess I did something right.”

Sharpe said there were plenty of conversations about the decision to sit out the year, even as Kentucky fell to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament. But one opinion mattered more than the rest: his.

“I did talk to Cal about it, my coach, trainer, even my parents,” Sharpe said. “But, at the end of the day, it was my decision to not play.”

Shaedon Sharpe: ‘I see myself as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball’

Sharpe received plenty of hype out of high school, arriving in Lexington as the No. 4 recruit in the country from the class of 2021, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Now, he’s going to try and keep the hype train going in the NBA, and multiple mock drafts project him as a lottery pick.

With that in mind, he has no doubt he can succeed in the association. He made that clear in his media availability, as well.

“I see myself as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball,” Sharpe said, via The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto.

In ESPN’s latest mock draft, Jonathan Givony has Sharpe going to the New Orleans Pelicans as the No. 8 overall pick. He’ll find out where he’ll play his rookie season June 23 when the NBA Draft officially opens. Ahead of the draft, Sharpe confirmed he had workouts with several lottery teams, including the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons. He’ll also have a workout with the Indiana Pacers on June 20.