31 Kentucky Players are on NBA Opening Night rosters

It’s opening night in the NBA and 31 former Kentucky players are on NBA rosters, the most from any college basketball program in the country (Duke is second with 25):

• Bam Adebayo – Miami Heat
• Eric Bledsoe – Milwaukee Bucks
• Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
• Isaiah Briscoe – Orlando Magic
• Willie Cauley-Stein – Sacramento Kings
• DeMarcus Cousins – Golden State Warriors
• Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans
• Hamidou Diallo – Oklahoma City Thunder
• De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings
• Wenyen Gabriel- Sacramento Kings*
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Los Angeles Clippers
• Andrew Harrison – Memphis Grizzlies
• Enes Kanter – New York Knicks
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – Charlotte Hornets
• Brandon Knight – Houston Rockets
• Kevin Knox – New York Knicks
• Skal Labissiere – Sacramento Kings
• Trey Lyles – Denver Nuggets
• Jodie Meeks – Milwaukee Bucks
• Darius Miller – New Orleans Pelicans
• Malik Monk – Charlotte Hornets
• Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets
• Nerlens Noel – Oklahoma City Thunder
• Patrick Patterson – Oklahoma City Thunder
• Alex Poythress – Atlanta Hawks*
• Julius Randle – New Orleans Pelicans
• Rajon Rondo – Los Angeles Lakers
• Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
• Tyler Ulis – Chicago Bulls*
• Jarred Vanderbilt – Denver Nuggets
• John Wall – Washington Wizards

* Two-way contract between NBA and G-League

Nineteen of the league’s 30 teams have a Wildcat on the roster, and four teams have three or more: Sacramento (Willie Cauley-Stein, De’Aaron Fox, Wenyen Gabriel and Skal Labissiere), Denver (Trey Lyles, Jamal Murray and Jarred Vanderbilt), New Orleans (Anthony Davis, Darius Miller and Julius Randle), and Oklahoma City (Hamidou Diallo, Nerlens Noel and Patrick Patterson).

According to UK, Calipari-coached players only (which includes Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans but not Jodie Meeks or Rajon Rondo) have amassed nearly $1.9 billion in career NBA contracts ($1.87 billion). In the nine seasons Calipari has been the head coach at Kentucky, his players have totaled more than $1.5 billion in NBA contracts. In just the 2018-19 season alone, UK players are slated to make almost $190 million.

The fun starts tonight at 8 p.m. with the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Boston Celtics on TNT, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder (Patrick Patterson, Nerlens Noel, Hamidou Diallo) vs. the Golden State Warriors (DeMarcus Cousins will not play) at 10:30 p.m.

We’ll have a bigger BBNBA preview coming for you in just a bit.

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