Kentucky Wildcats big Ugonna Onyenso declares for 2024 NBA Draft; hires agent

With the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball program hiring former member of the 1996 national championship-winning team Mark Pope as the team’s next head coach, some players are pondering their future with the program. Unfortunately for Big Blue Nation, Ugonna Onyenso is one of them.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the former Kentucky big is ready to take his game to the next level as he will be not only declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft but also hiring an agent. And Onyenso made his intentions clear with this statement about his future.

“I am ready to go to the next level. I’m not thinking about coming back to play college basketball. I’m 100% focused on the NBA,” said Onyenso.

ESPN currently has the seven-foot-tall big man ranked in their ESPN top 100 NBA draft prospects. Onyenso currently sits at No. 47 on their list despite limited productivity and playing time at Kentucky this past season. Being ranked No. 47 puts Onyenso right in the middle of the pack with a strong potential of being drafted, but with an even stronger likelihood of being invited to the NBA Summer League and possibly securing a spot on an NBA roster through those means.

Kentucky releases Mark Pope contract details, incentives

On Monday, the “Lexington Herald-Leader” obtained contract details for Kentucky’s new head coach, Mark Pope. The 51-year-old coach has signed a five-year contract with the school that will pay him $5 million in the 2024-25 season. His salary will increase by $250,000 annually every ensuing year.

Every season Pope guides Kentucky to a Sweet 16 appearance, his contract will be extended one season as long as there are no more than five years remaining on the contract at that time. Per Jon Hale, each extension will trigger another $500,000 raise.

“He would net $100,000 for an SEC championship, $50,000 for an SEC Tournament title, $25,000 for a team GPA of 3.0 or greater and $25,000 for a team APR score of at least 975,” Hale wrote of Pope’s incentives.

“Pope could also receive the largest of a set of bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament finish each season: national championship ($500,000), Final Four ($250,000), Elite Eight ($100,000) and Sweet 16 ($50,000). Pope’s maximum bonus each year is $700,000.”

At a $5 million salary, Pope would have been the seventh-highest-paid coach in college basketball last season, tied with UConn head coach Dan Hurley, according to USA Today. Despite the massive payday, Kentucky is still saving costs.