Kentucky Basketball Jersey Numbers: Who's the Best of the Best?

The 2025-26 Kentucky basketball roster is set. Not only do we know who is on the team, but we know which numbers they will be rocking next season. Let’s have some fun with it, shall we?

For the 14 jersey numbers, I’ll share the first former Kentucky basketball player who comes to mind, a Big Blue Rorschach test. While we’re at it, we’ll share who the best players are to ever wear each number.

2025-26 Kentucky Basketball Roster and Jersey Number

Player	Jersey Number
Otega Oweh	00
Denzel Aberdeen	1
Jasper Johnson	2
Kam Williams	3
Andrija Jelavic	4
Collin Chandler	5
Trent Noah	9
Brandon Garrison	10
Jaland Lowe	15
Jayden Quaintance	21
Braydon Hawthorne	22
Mo Dioubate	23
Malachi Moreno	24
Reece Potter	33

Otega Oweh No. 00

Rorshach Test: Tony Delk
UK GOAT: Tony Delk

The double-zero went out of style in recent years. De’Aaron Fox, Jacob Toppin, and Rob Dillingham were among the Calipari players who chose to wear No. 0. Tony Delk is the best to ever wear 00, but Otega Oweh could make a case this year. He has a lot of work to do to catch up with a National Champ, but would anyone be shocked if Oweh was an All-American that took the Cats to Indy? I don’t think so.

Denzel Aberdeen No. 1

Rorshach Test: Cliff Hawkins
UK GOAT: Darius Miller

You won’t believe it when I tell you that Cliff Hawkins was just the second player to ever wear No. 1 at Kentucky. His career began in 2000. The suffocating defender set the tone for Tubby Smith’s best teams, and is arguably the best to ever wear the number. I’m giving the nod to Darius Miller over Devin Booker, who is in an exclusive company as Kentucky Mr. Basketball, Sweet 16 Champion, and National Champion.

Jasper Johnson No. 2

Rorshach Test: Tim Couch
UK GOAT: Aaron Harrison

Tim Couch is one of a few stellar athletes from the 90s who planned on double-dipping at Kentucky, but that got nipped in the bud. It’s hard to think of another Deuce at Kentucky because he was that iconic for the football program. Sorry, Stacey Poole. However, this is the point where he always hits it.

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Kam Williams No. 3

Rorshach Test: Nerlens Noel
UK GOAT: Tyler Ulis

An injury derailed Nerlens Noel‘s career, but he had two unforgettable moments at Kentucky. I was in a packed Willy T ahead of midterms that broke out into a frenzy when the No. 1 player in the country turned around and showed off a UK logo in the back of his flat top. It was almost as cool as the block party he threw at Ole Miss.

The No. 3 is a stacked jersey number. Kam Williams will need to shoot the lights out to be in the same company as Terrence Jones, Bam Adebayo, and Rex Chapman. Tyler Ulis gets the nod over the latter after taking home SEC Player of the Year honors as a First Team All-American.

Andrija Jelavic No. 4

Rorshach Test: Gerald Fitch
UK GOAT: Kyle Macy

Yes, Rajon Rondo was the more impressive individual athlete, but my brain still goes to the scrappy Fitch first when it comes to No. 4s. None can compare to Macy, a three-time All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and National Champion.

Collin Chandler No. 5

Rorshach Test: Wayne Turner
UK GOAT: Malik Monk

Wayne Turner ended his career with more NCAA Tournament game appearances than any other player in college basketball history. They don’t make players anymore like the two-time National Champion. They don’t make many scorers like Malik Monk either. He had the highest-scoring season of the Calipari era (754 points) and the fourth-most in school history. It gives me the opportunity to share one of my favorite Kentucky highlight packages.

Trent Noah No. 9

The Mountain Mamba is the first Kentucky Wildcat to wear this number since WWII. Sorry, he doesn’t apply in this exercise.

Brandon Garrison No. 10

Rorshach Test: Keith Bogans
UK GOAT: Keith Bogans

Dirk Minnifield and Louie Dampier were exceptional Kentucky Wildcats, but they cannot compare to Keith Bogans. One of the best scorers in Kentucky basketball history, his No. 10 needs to be in the rafters of Rupp.

Jaland Lowe No. 15

Rorshach Test: Jeff Sheppard
UK GOAT: Willie Cauley-Stein

This is a tricky one. This number has multiple consensus All-Americans. Reed Sheppard was National Freshman of the Year. DeMarcus Cousins is one of the most beloved players to ever wear a Kentucky basketball uniform. But Willie Cauley-Stein was a National Defensive Player of the Year for a team that started its season 38-0. He also did stuff like this.

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Jayden Quaintance No. 21

Rorshach Test: Tayshaun Prince
UK GOAT: Jack Givens

During the early 2000s, it was a race for youth basketball players to get No. 21 when picking out jersey numbers. Everybody wanted to be like Tayshaun Prince, who did a little bit of everything for the Cats. He scored 41 points in the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, the same Jack “Goose” Givens scored in the 1978 National Championship Game at the Checkerdome.

Braydon Hawthorne #22

Rorshach Test: Patrick Sparks
UK GOAT: Mike Pratt

Patrick Sparks had two unforgettable shots during his time at Kentucky. One was a miss, but it drew three free throws that capped off an improbable comeback win over Louisville. The other sent the Cats into overtime of the 2005 Elite Eight. It’s still incomparable to the legacy Mike Pratt left after decades of working with Kentucky basketball.

Mo Dioubate #23

Rorshach Test: Jodie Meeks
UK GOAT: Anthony Davis

Dioubate is changing it up. He wore No. 10 at Alabama. This year the power forward will be rocking the number Anthony Davis wore as National Player of the Year, and the jersey Jodie Meeks wore when he splashed 54 points on Tennessee.

Malachi Moreno #24

Rorshach Test: Kalenna Azubuike
UK GOAT: Jamal Mashburn

Jamal Mashburn revitalized the Kentucky basketball program in the 90s. Even though I had a posted of Mash hanging in my bedroom, I was too young to appreciate everything he did for the Wildcats. Instead, the player I go to is the one that Tubby Smith described as, “Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane.”

Reece Potter #33

Rorshach Test: Randolph Morris
UK GOAT: Ron Mercer

Randolph Morris did not have the illustrious Kentucky career that National Champion Ron Mercer had, but he is at the epicenter of one of the greatest controversies in program history. The mysterious fax they found in the UK basketball office gave Morris the green light to return for a second year after previously declaring for the NBA Draft.