Kevin Knox drafted 9th by the New York Knicks

Kevin Knox will stay in New York City. Knox was selected ninth by the Knicks tonight, becoming the 18th lottery pick of the John Calipari era.

.@KevKnox gets selected 9th overall by the @nyknicks in the 2018 #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/juriAFuUKR

— NBA (@NBA) June 22, 2018

Knox led Kentucky in scoring last season, averaging 15.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. His best performance came against West Virginia, when he scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Cats to the comeback win. Knox was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, All-SEC First Team, and received All-American honorable mention from the Associated Press.

John Calipari is at the draft, but released this pre-recorded video after Knox was selected:

It's official. The @nyknicks have taken @KevKnox with the ninth overall pick.

Coach Cal thinks Kevin is going to be "phenomenal" in the NBA.#DreamBig pic.twitter.com/Wx1dzTiJBP

— CoachCal.com (@CoachCalDotCom) June 22, 2018

In the John Calipari era, Kentucky has now produced 32 NBA Draft picks over eight seasons, including 25 first-round selections, three No. 1 overall picks, 13 top-10 selections and 18 lottery picks.

The selection isn’t a surprise; earlier this week, Knox called the Knicks “the Kentucky Wildcats of the NBA” and slipped up and let the cat out of the bag during a radio interview earlier today:

Kevin Knox while talking about the Knicks slips up and says "we got a new coach … they got a new coach." pic.twitter.com/1GvHK0WJFD

— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) June 21, 2018

Knicks fans at the Barclays Center weren’t happy with the pick, booing after Knox was announced:

#Knicks fans booing the pick. Same happened to KP. pic.twitter.com/VCSrFWWgU4

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 22, 2018

Knox’s response? “I like that. It’s motivation. A lot of the city wants [Michael] Porter, but I’m ready to work. I’m ready to get to the organization and try to win some games.”

That’s our boy. Maybe that’s why Cal and Spike Lee looked so chummy earlier.

Knox and his new jersey:

[mobile_ad]