Denzel Aberdeen recalls initial conversations with Kentucky after entering transfer portal

Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen was a contributing member off the bench for a Gator team last season which won the National Championship, as he averaged 7.7 points and 1.4 assists in 39 games. He surprisingly entered the Transfer Portal following the season, immediately becoming a prized possession to teams all around the country.

Aberdeen quickly committed to coach Mark Pope and Kentucky, becoming another crucial piece to the Wildcats’ No. 2 ranked portal class in the country. He explained his reasoning behind transferring to Kentucky earlier this week.

“It was pretty quick,” Aberdeen responded when asked about his talks with Kentucky in the portal. “They called and I told my dad ‘this is the school I want to be at.’ Just seeing all the people that came in and out of this school and all the great players. My main goal is to make it to the NBA and just seeing how this school has shown transfer guys how to be great men on and off the court is something I want to achieve. When they called, I was like ‘man, I gotta go here.’

Two players from last season’s Wildcat team, Koby Brea (No. 41 to Phoenix Suns) and Amari Williams (No. 46 to Boston Celtics), were selected in this year’s NBA Draft. The Kentucky program is annually the best at putting players into the league, as it has had 53 alumni drafted since 2010.

“Playing for coach [Mark] Pope, obviously another National Champion, and just the school itself and the people and the atmosphere here… it’s crazy. I’ve been watching on TV and we played against them last year here and it was crazy. When they called it was pretty much a no-brainer for me. I was like man I gotta do it. I’m ready.”

In Florida‘s 106-100 loss to Kentucky on January 4, Aberdeen scored four points off the bench.

“It was pretty much between me and my family, but I’m just happy for Kentucky for reaching out and giving me a chance to play here,” Aberdeen said when asked about his decision to leave Florida. “Things happen in life and it’s all in God’s plan. Just being here and being at Kentucky, I’m just happy.”

The Orlando, FL native will be a key member to Kentucky‘s 2025-26 team as it looks to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2015 and win a National Championship for the first time since 2012.