LOOK: Cason Wallace in his No. 22 OKC Thunder jersey

Same jersey number, just different threads for fresh NBA rookie Cason Wallace.

On Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder posted on social media a first look at Wallace, who was drafted No. 10 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday by the Dallas Mavericks and immediately traded to OKC, sporting his new jersey. The former Kentucky Wildcat guard is still rocking No. 22 at the next level, the same number he wore during his lone season in Lexington that saw him named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Check out the rook’s new look below, courtesy of the Thunder’s Facebook page.

Great-looking photos aside, it feels like Wallace was always destined for the path he’s on. Not only does he model his game after new teammate and fellow former Wildcat, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but he also added that SGA is the best player in the NBA right now. Wallace said all of this well before he was taken in the lottery by OKC and he also reportedly wore some of Gilgeous-Alexander’s shoes during pre-draft workouts. On a semi-sour note, both Wallace and SGA were part of UK teams that were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by Kansas State.

But what’s even weirder about Wallace’s connection to OKC and the No. 22 jersey is a picture that he posted to his Instagram page on Sunday afternoon, which shows a very young Cason once again wearing a No. 22 Thunder jersey during what looks to be a youth basketball game.

He captioned the IG post “It’s all part of the story” — sure seems like it.

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