12 former Kentucky Wildcats make ESPN's top 100 NBA players

The NBA season is right around the corner, but as usual, it is stocked with former Kentucky players. Good ones, at that. ESPN released its list of the top 100 players for the 2024-25 season and 12 Wildcats made the cut. More impressively, nine of those 12 ranked in the top 50, seven in the top 30, and three in the top 15.

It probably goes without saying, but no other college has more alumni on the list than Kentucky and doubles the number of players from Duke, who has six.

Here is the complete list:

• 4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
• 13. Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
• 15. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
• 18. Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
• 19. Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
• 26. De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
• 30. Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks)
• 31. Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
• 48. Julius Randle (Minnesota Timberwolves)
• 64. Immanuel Quickley (Toronto Raptors)
• 65. Malik Monk (Sacramento Kings)
• 76. Tyler Herro (Miami Heat)

Rookies rarely make the ESPN top 100, but look for Kentucky bench players Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham to crack the top 100 NBA players in the near future if not next year. Kentucky’s bench players are primed to succeed early in their careers with Sheppard getting preseason love for Rookie of the Year honors.

We will see the final number of Kentucky players to make an opening-day roster next week, but rest assured, it will once again be more than any other university.

Say what you want about the last 15 years under John Calipari, but if nothing else, he has given Big Blue Nation a plethora of players to cheer for in the NBA.