Willie Cauley-Stein reunited with Olivia, one of his biggest fans, during interview with KSR

KSR was excited to have special guest Willie Cauley-Stein on Monday’s show for a lengthy interview with the former Wildcat. There was so much to discuss with Cauley-Stein, from his playing days in Lexington to his thoughts on the Mark Pope era, beating Louisville alums in The Basketball Tournament, and a little reminiscing on the old Bahamas trip of ’14, although not all of those Bahamas stories are allowed on radio.

Big Blue Nation already knows that Cauley-Stein has a fun personality and a kind soul with interests way beyond basketball, so KSR and its listeners were in for a treat when he graciously volunteered his time to discuss his life and opinions on the KSR airwaves. As expected, Cauley-Stein had several interesting things to say about his career and how he still roots for the team today. He even confirmed that he is all Blue when his old Kentucky coach, John Calipari, returns to Lexington with Arkansas.

However, there was a surprise moment during the show that encapsulated Cauley-Stein as a person and the impact Kentucky Basketball has on others. But first, a backstory to that story:

Meet Olivia.

In 2015, Willie Cauley-Stein caught wind that one of his biggest fans, four-year-old Olivia, had been telling her family and classmates that she planned to marry the Kentucky Basketball star one day. Flattered by his young admirer, Cauley-Stein surprised Olivia, who has cerebral palsy, at the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass with an invitation to a lunch date on UK’s campus. They had spaghetti, her pick.

The timing of their lunch date made the gesture even more special because Cauley-Stein was in the middle of his final NCAA Tournament run as a Wildcat. He visited Olivia at her school and met her for lunch in the short window between getting home from the 2015 Elite Eight and Kentucky’s flight to the 2015 Final Four.

The CDCB wrote in a Facebook post, “She was SO charming and he made her feel SO special. Very happy for our little girl, and very proud to be a part of #BBN…. that a player of Willie’s caliber would take time out of his day on perhaps the most pressured-filled and anticipatory week of his college career speaks volumes about the outstanding character of Kentucky’s Basketball team.”

CBS featured Willie and Olivia’s date during the Final Four coverage.

Surprise! What are you doing here?

Fifteen minutes into Willie Cauley-Stein’s interview with KSR on Monday, the doors to KSBar opened and in came Olivia, now a teenager, full of joy and excitement. She screamed when she laid eyes on Willie on the stage to her left, her first time seeing him in many years, and he immediately recognized her smile.

There was one tiny issue, though. On her way to the show, Olivia had been listening to KSR when Cauley-Stein mentioned his wife and three kids. Right away, she asked, “What the heck? You got a wife now?!”

One of @THEwillieCS15’s biggest fans from his Kentucky days surprised him at today’s show pic.twitter.com/rfJQa3IvoH

— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) January 13, 2025

After the radio interview, Willie sat with Olivia for the show’s last segment, then for a while longer once the show ended. He showed her photos of his family, told her about his pro basketball career, and asked how she’s been since they last saw each other. When another fan asked Willie for a quick photo, he assured Olivia he would be right back to the table to continue their conversation.

Monday’s show wasn’t a spaghetti date or a surprise in front of her classmates, but Olivia had another great day with her favorite player, and this time, she coordinated the surprise.

“It’s a blessing.”

If you listened or will listen to the interview, you might’ve heard Cauley-Stein’s voice crack when talking about Olivia. He was very emotional after seeing her excitement to see him, like a reminder of the impact that he and other Kentucky players have on everyday people around the state and the fan base.

“It’s a blessing,” he said to KSR. “I don’t think you really realize it until it happens, you know? Because you don’t feel it all the time, but you come here, you feel it all the time.”

On receiving love from the fan base in return, Cauley-Stein said Kentucky fans are special because “they see you for who you are, not just a basketball player or what you do for the school.”

Listen to the full interview in the second hour of today’s show below, and thank you to Olivia for coming to the show today.