Mike Pratt will be the Second UK Basketball Player's Jersey Retired Since 2002

If you’re purchasing your first alcoholic beverage in 2023, you’ve only seen Kentucky retire one former player’s jersey in your lifetime. The second will happen Feb. 4 when the Wildcats salute Mike Pratt by placing his jersey in the rafters of Rupp Arena.

There is no greater gesture in all of sports than honoring an individual by hanging their jersey atop the field of play. Its permanence reflects the significance of the individual’s contributions. Surely, there has been more than one significant Kentucky basketball player that has earned this tribute over the last 21 years.

Using Jon Scott’s Big Blue History website as a reference, there are 38 retired jerseys of former Kentucky basketball players at Rupp Arena. In addition to the former players, Cawood Ledford, Mr. Wildcat Bill Keightley and four of the Wildcats’ National Championship coaches have all received recognition in the rafters. Tubby Smith’s name was added just last year.

Before last year’s ceremony, Tony Delk was the most recent player elevated to the Rupp Arena rafters back in 2015. From 1991 to the addition of Sam Bowie in 2002, Kentucky retired the jerseys of 23 different Wildcats, including Pat Riley, Kyle Macy, Kenny Walker, Jamal Mashburn and The Unforgettables.

Retired Jerseys Should Connect Young Fans with the Past

“Dad, who’s Wah Wah Jones?” That’s how I learned about Kentucky football history, by asking my father about the names that lined the upper deck at Commonwealth Stadium. Young Kentucky football fans no longer have that option, but that’s a conversation for another day. That same concept applies to young fans at Rupp Arena, who gaze up and wonder, “What did that Issel guy do when he wore No. 44?”

Few have ever embodied Kentucky basketball better than Mike Pratt. There’s no easier choice to set in the rafters of Rupp Arena. He served as the connective tissue between eras of John Calipari and Adolph Rupp. You cannot tell the story of Kentucky basketball without mentioning Mike Pratt.

It’s a high burden of proof to enter the rafters, and it should be to receive such acclaim. It is why the powers that be wait years before finally pulling the trigger to honor another former Wildcat. However, their patience has turned to neglect. Mike Pratt should be court-side for this ceremony. They waited too long.

There are plenty of players I grew up Idolizing that will one day be in the rafters of Rupp. You can’t tell Tubby Smith’s story without Keith Bogans, nor can you tell John Calipari’s without John Wall and Anthony Davis. I just hope I don’t have to wait until my sons can buy a beer at Rupp Arena to see these all-time greats receive the recognition they deserve.