2024 NBA Draft Closes the Book on the Calipari Era

by:Nick Roush•06/26/24•

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Dreams are coming true for former Kentucky Wildcats tonight in New York City, but this year’s NBA Draft has an unusual feeling for the Big Blue Nation.

Mark Pope said Draft Day will continue to be a special day for the Kentucky basketball program, but it will not carry the same weight as it did during the John Calipari era. It shouldn’t. The stars aligned to unite Calipari, Kentucky, and the NBA Draft, creating a successful relationship that has run its course.

It all started when John Calipari was introduced as the Kentucky head basketball coach in 2009.

“There’s three keys to winning championships. The first thing is have really good players. The second thing is have really good players. And I hate to tell you that’s the third thing,” Calipari quipped.

The players first mantra was established on the ground floor of the Calipari era. Kentucky fans were happy to agree to this deal, in exchange for postseason success.

NCAA Tournament success did not happen overnight, but Kentucky only lost two games before the Cats were stunned by West Virginia in the Elite Eight. Despite the loss, Calipari approval ratings were at an all-time high, until NBA Draft night.

As part of the deal with Calipari, we knew one-and-dones were a new part of life. Calipari saw the rule as an opportunity and made a gamble on the players. It worked in spades. The Cats were winning and players were getting drafted at an unprecedented rate.

On that first NBA Draft night, Cal got a little overzealous while taking a victory lap around those who believed his gamble wouldn’t work. After a record five players were taken in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft, he declared it “the greatest day in program history.”

Some of the outcry was a bit overblown, but it nevertheless lost him supporters. For some, that statement made it abundantly clear the name on the back of the jersey meant more than the front of the jersey. That was enough to lose fans for good.

Now Cal is the Arkansas head coach. He’s lost all of the fans, and yet his former players are still waiting for that life-changing moment on the stage in Brooklyn. This will serve as the final send-off of the Calipari era. Even though we will be delighted for Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, their success on the NBA Draft stage serves as a reminder of Calipari’s final shortcomings in Lexington.

Big Blue Nation celebrated Kentucky’s NBA Draft success, so long as it followed the Wildcats’ success. When that well dried up, so did our patience with John Calipari. Now it’s time to move on with an approach from Pope that’s significantly different in tone and welcomed with open arms by fans.

The NBA Draft is an exciting, transformational event. This year’s coaching change is adding a little awkwardness to it, especially if John Calipari is there in the middle of it all at the Barclays Center.