Thursday night’s NBA Draft went surprisingly well for the Kentucky Wildcats. Once considered a fringe first →
@DraftExpress
We are just minutes away from the start of the NBA Draft and the players are prepared for a life-changing night at the Barclays Center.
2017 #NBADraft class is ready for their group photopic.twitter.com/mJXlvFWKMF
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 22, 2017
Before they took the picture, De’Aaron Fox had to help Markelle Fultz fix his tie.
@NBADraft
After the group pic, Fox posed for a portrait with his family.
@DraftExpress
Everybody gets their own basketball…
#ICYMI, three Wildcats are in the "Green Room" tonight. No other school has more than two. pic.twitter.com/tu6p6fgzhC
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) June 22, 2017
…after they pose for photos on the red carpet.
Just a couple of college teammates looking to turn their dreams into reality.#NBADraft pic.twitter.com/adVDNCqme8
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) June 22, 2017
Malik Monk’s shoes look a lot like the shoes Deshaun Watson rocked at this year’s NFL Draft, just a less spikier version.
@Sportscenter
This is not from the draft, but it’s too cute not to share. De’Aaron Fox had some fun with some kid reporters before taking the big stage tonight.
Top #NBADraft prospect @swipathefox is no match for our kids crew in our 1-🏀 N-1 challenge. #GOBIG pic.twitter.com/5ruEmwU32s
— Kids Foot Locker (@KidsFootLocker) June 22, 2017
Images via USA Today
The Phoenix Suns could add another Kentucky Wildcat to their roster, but they’ll have to bump one out of the way to make room on the roster.
Chad Ford reports if the Suns select De’Aaron Fox at No. 4, they’ll likely trade Eric Bledsoe to either the Bulls or the Nuggets. If dealt to Denver, Chris Haynes reports the deal would include former UK recruit Emmanuel Mudiay.
Bledsoe signed a 5-year $70 million deal with the Suns in 2014. If you hope he stays with the Suns a little longer, Phoenix will likely select Josh Jackson if he’s still available with the fourth pick.
Good luck fellas!
— Eric Bledsoe (@EBled2) June 22, 2017
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@Finebaum
KSR’s fearless leader joined Paul Finebaum to help prepare SEC country for tonight’s NBA Draft. He dishes on the loaded top end of the draft class, where he believes Fox and Monk will land, Monk’s past with disgruntled Arkansas fans and much more.
Matt’s 15-minute segment starts around the 11:30 mark of the second hour. Hear him now before he leaves us for his six-week excursion across the pond.
We’ve had small glimpses of De’Aaron Fox’s draft night suit this afternoon, but we finally got a decent video of it thanks to Complex Sports and it’s purple:
De'Aaron Fox wearing a purple suit to the #NBADraft 🤔
pic.twitter.com/OHH7dD5PUL— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 22, 2017
Nice shot at Donovan Mitchell about those socks, De’Aaron. A closeup of Fox’s shoes thanks to Darren Rovell:
@darrenrovell
Meanwhile, projected #1 pick Markelle Fultz is wearing shoes made of — wait for it — basketballs:
@darrenrovell
And Gonzaga’s Zach Collins is really going all out with his Vegas theme:
Gonzaga's Zach Collins making sure his hometown of Las Vegas is part of his outfit tonight. pic.twitter.com/oKP8hsNG4v
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 22, 2017
Yep, Bam still gets my vote as best dressed.
🚨 Rumor alert! Rumor alert! Rumor alert! 🚨
According to Basketball Insider’s Steve Kyler, the Los Angeles Lakers are still considering taking De’Aaron Fox with the second pick instead of Lonzo Ball:
As of this afternoon Lakers still have not committed to Lonzo Ball (not uncommon) and indicated De'Aaron Fox still under real consideration
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 22, 2017
Not sure anyone in the NBA buys the idea of Lakers passing on Ball, but illustrates Lakers being very deliberate in this draft.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 22, 2017
Fox to the Lakers??
@NBADraft
More pictures are coming out of New York as the guys make their way to the NBA Draft. We’ve already praised Bam Adebayo’s suit, and now, we have this look at Malik Monk’s. Monk and De’Aaron Fox were outfitted by JC Penney for tonight’s draft, and so far, I’m impressed.
Here are all three Cats looking pleased as punch to see Jerry Tipton again:
Classy, conservative Draft attire for Fox, Bam, Monk (left to right) pic.twitter.com/CGz0OK7lro
— Jerry Tipton (@JerryTipton) June 22, 2017
Photo by UK Athletics
Tonight, John Calipari will fly from Colorado Springs to New York to watch his players get drafted, but if you ask Roy Williams, that’s not really a coach’s place. Ole Roy was on The David Glenn Show in North Carolina this morning, and when asked, said he wasn’t able to attend tonight’s draft to support Justin Jackson because of a family obligation. Fair enough, but Roy went one step further, taking a shot at “Big John” Calipari by saying he doesn’t like to attend the draft because it’s supposed to be a special moment between the players and their families, not the players and their former coaches.
“When I was at Kansas, I never went to the draft because I always felt like it was a special time for the families. It was not anything — you know, I kid John Calipari because he’s always jumping up there and I said, I don’t want to be jumping up and have a kid grab me or anything like that. John’s so good about it. He says, no, I want them to grab their mom first and then grab me so they see me on TV with them. I said, I’m not doing that, Big John.”
That sure didn’t stop Roy back in 2012:
Roy can wax poetic about letting a family have their moment or whatever, but that picture proves that even he can’t deny the impact attending the draft can have on recruiting.
But enjoy the draft from the sofa with your Co’Colar, Roy. I’m sure you’ll just chuckle away when “Big John” is on the ESPN set with millions of young basketball players hanging on his every word.
To hear the segment for yourself, tune in below around the 26:57 mark.
Thoughts? I’m a huge fan of the Prince of Wales check/Glen plaid vest and trousers. That is a very sharp look.
UPDATE (4:07 p.m.): Here’s a video that includes all three guys from ESPN…
The fellas are ready.
Three hours until NBA Draft coverage begins on ESPN and the ESPN App. pic.twitter.com/DdeFon1nAP
— ESPN (@espn) June 22, 2017
@ESPNNBA
De’Aaron Fox is known for his flashy kicks (yesterday he had wildcats on his Gucci slippers), but these may take the cake. Check out this sneak peek of Fox’s draft night outfit, which includes a pair of shoes that spell out “LOVE.”
So, do you LOVE or hate them?
Freddie’s “Has Been” Series continues on The Jack Kain Ford Depth Chart Podcast with the player who replaced him on the depth chart, legendary quarterback Pookie Jones.
Pookie is best remembered for leading the Cats to the 1993 Peach Bowl, but did you know 1989’s Mr. Football from Calloway County also hit 17 homeruns for Keith Madison’s Bat Cats? Pookie shines a brighter light on the Bill Curry era, connects with former wide receiver Mark Chatman, and…
— How Freddie tried to prevent Pookie from coming to UK.
— Pookie was much more than an “option quarterback;” how the option hurt their offense.
— They explain Tommy Bowden’s revolutionary “triangulation of progression.”
— Pookie makes a prediction on Stephen Johnson’s 2017 season.
— Comparing Benny Snell and Moe Williams.
— What loss hurt more? To Florida in the Chris Doering game or the Peach Bowl?
— The challenges of playing baseball and football for UK.
You can easily listen on the KSR App, available on iTunes and Google Play. Streaming online is simple through Pod Paradise. You can also get it directly to your phone by subscribing to “Kentucky Sports Radio” on iTunes or via Android’s Podcast Addict app.
Pookie’s 357 yard passing game vs. Mississippi State.
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Yesterday, Matt interviewed Katina Powell for “Hey Kentucky!” and while you’ll have to wait until tonight to see the full segment, we have a sneak peek for you. Watch below as Katina describes one of the many stripper/sex parties at Minardi Hall, which she said got so loud that there’s no way anyone couldn’t have known about them:
SNEAK PEAK! Our interview with Katina Powell. Here she describes the Louisville parties, who was there, what they saw. More tonight at 7:30! pic.twitter.com/sSCUIb9o8t
— Hey Kentucky! (@hey_kentucky) June 22, 2017
You can see the entire interview at 7:30 p.m. on LEX18. That conflicts with the Draft, but that’s why God invented DVRs and commercial breaks.
@NBADraft
We’ve got six hours until the draft, and the closer we get, the more apparent it becomes that anything can happen. Ever since the Knicks made it known that they’re open to trading Kristaps Porzingis, rumors have flown about potential trades, making tonight’s draft one of the toughest to predict in recent memory. Regardless, prognosticators gotta prognosticate, so here’s a roundup of the latest mock drafts as of 1 p.m. ET:
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| De’Aaron Fox | Malik Monk | Bam Adebayo | |
| Draft Express | 5. Sacramento | 8. New York | 18. Indiana |
| NBADraft.net | 5. Sacramento | 10. Sacramento | 17. Milwaukee |
| Chad Ford Mock Draft 8.0 | 4. Phoenix | 11. Charlotte | 17. Milwaukee |
| CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish | 5. Sacramento | 10. Sacramento | 25. Orlando |
| NBC Sports’ Rob Dauster | 5. Sacramento | 8. New York | 24. Utah |
| Sports Illustrated | 5. Sacramento | 8. New York | 19. Atlanta |
| NBA.com | 5. Sacramento | 6. Orlando | 17. Milwaukee |
Consensus is forming around De’Aaron Fox and Sacramento with the fifth pick, with Chad Ford as the lone pundit predicting Phoenix will take him at number four. According to Ford, Suns owner Robert Sarver is very high on Fox, but this morning, Adrian Wojnarowski said on The Dan Patrick Show that there’s no way the Suns will take Fox if Eric Bledsoe is still on the roster. Will Bledsoe still be on the roster in six hours?
Stay tuned…
De’Aaron Fox has one simple request for whichever team drafts him tonight: bring a visor, not a hat. In an interview with ESPN’s The Undefeated, Fox went into detail about his famous full-volume hairstyle, which is understandably difficult to stuff under a normal hat.
“I can try to squeeze it on,” Fox said of his draft hat. “I need — whoever is trying to draft me needs to make sure they bring a visor so it goes straight through. Even my graduation cap for high school I kind of just sat it on top of my head. I hope it’s a snapback so I can unsnap the whole thing and try to put it on.”
The more Fox thought about it, the more he liked the idea of being the first player in draft history to wear a visor, not a hat.
“Yeah, that would be cool because that would be funny to see my hair go straight through it. If they could do it, I would definitely do it. They should.”
Watch the video of Fox describing his famous hair at the link below. And then check out the amazing Gucci shoes he wore yesterday, which feature Wildcats:
[De’Aaron Fox’s predraft hair routine is wildly impressive]
Congratulations to Hamidou Diallo and PJ Washington, who were just named to the USA Basketball U19 National Team, which will compete in the FIBA World Cup in Cairo, Egypt next month. Diallo and Washington were two of the 12 players selected by head coach John Calipari and his staff. The full roster is below:
- Hamidou Diallo, Kentucky
- PJ Washington, Kentucky
- Immanuel Quickley
- Cameron Reddish
- Romeo Langford
- Brandon McCoy, UNLV
- Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech
- Payton Pritchard, Oregon
- Austin Wiley, Auburn
- Carsen Edwards, Purdue
- Kevin Huerter, Maryland
- Louis King
The only UK target not to make the final team is 7’3″ Bol Bol. As we reported earlier, Kentucky freshman Kevin Knox had to withdraw from the team due to a tweaked hamstring.
The FIBA World Cup is July 1-9 in Cairo, Egypt. Check out some sights and sounds from training camp courtesy of USA Basketball below:
