New Mexico guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. enters name into transfer portal

Over 30 years ago, Jamal Mashburn was leading Kentucky as an All-American en route to a Final Four appearance. Could his son soon find his way to Lexington and carve out his own legacy?

On Monday afternoon, New Mexico guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. entered his name into the transfer portal, according to multiple reports. While it’s unclear at the time if Kentucky will actually express interest in the younger Mashburn (there are some other details the program needs to iron out first…), the idea of bringing a legacy recruit to UK could certainly be on the table.

Ignoring postseason results, that method certainly worked out well for Reed Sheppard.

New Mexico guard Jamal Mashburn Jr has entered the transfer portal @On3sports has learned

Averaged 14.1 points this season. From Miami, started his career at Minnesota. Grad Transfer.

Son of former NBA forward Jamal Mashburn.https://t.co/vVBFTKDToZ pic.twitter.com/qiaiM9ydWA

— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) March 25, 2024

Mashburn Jr. spent his freshman season at Minnesota before transferring to New Mexico in 2021 and spending the next three seasons with the Lobos. His coach for all four of those seasons? Richard Pitino, the son of former Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino. Richard Pitino left Minnesota for New Mexico during the 2021 offseason and brought Mashburn Jr. along with him.

Additionally, Rick Pitino coached Jamal Mashburn Sr. while the two were at UK together in the early 1990s.

Mashburn Jr. will certainly have plenty of suitors in the portal. As a senior this past season, the 6-foot-2 guard averaged 14.1 points in 29.5 minutes per game, but on a shooting clip of just 36 percent overall. He was much more effective and efficient in scoring the ball as a sophomore (18.2 PPG on 42.8 FG%) and junior (19.1 PPG on 42.8 FG%) at New Mexico, but is just a career 40.1 percent shooter from the floor.

As a low-end four-star recruit out of high school, Mashburn turned himself into a two-time All-Mountain West performer (2022, 2023). This past season, he was the second-leading scorer on a New Mexico squad that won the conference championship and made the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.

Mashburn will have one season of eligibility remaining as a grad transfer.