Kentucky target Shaedon Sharpe receives G League Ignite offer

Shaedon Sharpe already had the G League Ignite among his top five destinations, but now he’s officially received an offer from the professional option.

Earlier this month, Sharpe, a consensus top-five prospect from the class of 2022, dropped his list of preferred destinations for the next stage of his basketball career: Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and the G League Ignite. He’s held an offer from head coach John Calipari and the Wildcats since Dec. 2020 and many had assumed he would eventually commit to UK as early as this month.

As time continues to pass, Sharpe remains undecided. On Sunday afternoon, he announced on Instagram that he had officially received his offer from the G League Ignite.

This isn’t necessarily bad news for Kentucky in terms of where the staff stands with Sharpe right now, but it could explain why a commitment has yet to come in. Keep in mind, Sharpe has eight Crystal Ball picks and five FutureCast selections in favor of Kentucky. It wasn’t even two weeks ago that CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander called Sharpe to Kentucky “the lock of locks”. Kentucky still has the inside track in his recruitment.

But the G League can be enticing. Reports have been coming out of annual deals worth $500,000-plus for high school juniors and seniors. Name, image, and likeness rules will help Kentucky combat that, but a chance to jump straight into the pro ranks is always an interesting option.

By the time the next batch of rankings are rolled out, there’s a good chance that Shaedon Sharpe finds himself at the very top. Most sites already have him in the top 10 or 15, but he’ll be shooting up to the top one or two spots when it’s all said and done. On3 already ranked Sharpe as the top player from the class of 2022.

At 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, he’s the type of two-way player that coaches can build an entire roster around.