Dillingham and Bradshaw Balled Out for the Good of the Bluegrass

Kentucky star freshmen Rob Dillingham and Aaron Bradshaw aren’t just good players on the court. They also have some skills on the screen as well.

Students and fans gathered on Thursday night at the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union E-Sports Lounge to witness two of their favorite Wildcats go head-to-head in an NBA 2K24 showdown. Dillingham and Bradshaw participated in UKFCU’s Gaming for Good NIL event. The winner of the video game match-up was awarded $2,500 to donate to a charity of their choosing.

It was a best two-out-of-three battle between the two five-star recruits. Both ‘Cats got off to a hot start but things got rolling for Dillingham as time went on — sound familiar? Dilly, playing as the Phoenix Suns, came out on top in the first game as he took on Bradshaw’s Los Angeles Lakers.

“In general I go with the Thunder because Kevin Durant is my favorite player but I played with the Suns tonight because of him now,” Dillingham said.

Both Dilly and Bradshaw are using teams who currently have former Kentucky players on the roster… coincidence?

Rob is as shifty on the game as he is on the court pic.twitter.com/ZFeE1XAksV

— katelyn perkins (@KPerkinsKSR) March 1, 2024

Bradshaw needed to get focused for the second game if he wanted any chance at winning for CASA of Lexington. The 7’1 New Jersey native chose the non-profit because of their work with children. He expressed how it was cool for him to get to play for an organization that focuses on advocating for kids who are in the court system.

Dillingham got off to a solid start in the second game as he stuck with Durant and the Suns. However, Bradshaw hit a hot streak to get back in the game with a few minutes left. But the tall and lengthy freshman’s stick skills were lacking in the end and he came up short as he opted to play with the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic.

Bradshaw said that he chose his teams based on the players that they had. He said that honestly, he chose them because Lebron James and Jokic are some of his favorite players — and he was trying to get the win. Unfortunately, the two great players in the league were not enough to get him the dub and Dilly won the $2,500.

And it’s a Dilly dub!!!

That’s $2,500 to the Autism Society of the Bluegrass pic.twitter.com/iMlRndqP7e

— katelyn perkins (@KPerkinsKSR) March 1, 2024

Dillingham chose the Autism Society of the Bluegrass as the charity he wanted to donate the money to. He said that it was important to him to be able to give back to those who have autism and support their families.

After the North Carolina native presented the check to select members of the organization, both players stuck around to take pictures and talk with fans who watched them play. Although he did not win, Bradshaw was receiving support from one specific little fan throughout the night and eventually got to meet his biggest fan.

Even though he lost, AB still stuck around to say hi to this little girl who cheered for him the whole night.

He’s a big guy with an even bigger heart @KySportsRadio @MrsTylerKSR @ZGeogheganKSR pic.twitter.com/yQkf8VLCPL

— katelyn perkins (@KPerkinsKSR) March 1, 2024

Both players were very talkative with Big Blue Nation and stuck around until almost everyone who came to watch got a picture or autograph from the stars. Most fans flocked to the winner of the night, Dillingham, first.

By the end of the night, the two Wildcats said that they were ready to go to rest after the event. They will need it for their Saturday afternoon game coming up against Arkansas at Rupp Arena. The No. 16 ‘Cats will take on the Razorbacks at 1:30 pm EST on CBS.