Skip to main content
KSRKSR Plus
KSBoard
Kentucky
Join KSR+

KSR Today: It's NBA Draft Night

Nick-Roush-headshotby: Nick Roush06/25/25RoushKSR

Although it is not technically the first NBA Draft outside of the Calipari era, it certainly feels that way. For more than a decade, the NBA Draft stage was a launching off point for players who spent a year or two in Lexington, before cashing enormous checks in the NBA. Calipari was no longer in blue and white a year ago, but he still had a few players in the lottery, Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.

Tonight’s lottery will not come with as much anticipation. In fact, we probably won’t hear one Kentucky player’s name called. For just the second year, the NBA Draft is a two-night event, and this year all of the former Cats are projected to fall in the second round on Thursday.

In ESPN’s final mock draft, Koby Brea is off the board at No. 42 overall to the Kings, while Amari Williams comes in at No. 53 to the Utah Jazz. Jaxson Robinson is on the fringe. He’ll be holding his breath until the action concludes on Thursday. Andrew Carr and Lamont Butler are considered Top 100 prospects, but will likely have to cut their teeth as free agents in the NBA Summer League.

Even though former Cats will not be in the mix, it will still be intriguing to see what happens after the top two picks go off the board. How far will Ace Bailey fall? Will there be more crazy offseason trades? Coverage from the Barclays Center begins at 8 PM ET on ESPN.

Kentucky Lands a Speedy Wide Receiver

While most of the sports world is focused on the NBA Draft, closer to home, it is peak high school football recruiting season. Kentucky stayed hot on the trail by securing a commitment from Dallas Dickerson. The wide receiver is a burner who spurned the Oklahoma Sooners to commit to Kentucky. The high three-star talent is the tenth player, and third wide receiver, to join the Cats’ 2026 recruiting class.

“I love Coach Stoops’ composure,” Dickerson told On3’s Chad Simmons. “During my meeting with him, he was very sincere when he talked about where the program is going and what direction it’s headed in. He made it clear that Kentucky football is taking a step up.” 

Another Kentucky Football Commitment?

The momentum may not be slowing down anytime soon. Dickerson was the sixth commitment in the last eight days. They could make it seven additions in nine days when Ben Duncum announces his decision this afternoon.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive lineman from Texas is choosing between the Cats, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Wisconsin. Fresh off an official visit to Lexington, Kentucky appears to have some late momentum before he announces his decision at 2 PM ET.

Make sure you don’t miss out on any intel from insiders across the On3 network. Subscribe to KSR+ for the latest Kentucky football recruiting scoop ahead of some high-profile decisions.

The Latest from Kentucky Basketball Summer Practices

Earlier this week, Mo Dioubate shared which freshman has impressed him the most during early summer practices. What if I told you that another freshman has been better than expected? “Braydon Hawthorne has been turning heads,” Jack Pilgrim shared. “Thin and raw, but natural gifts that continue to shine through, and just ridiculously long. A work in progress, but not a total project.”

That is certainly intriguing, and there’s plenty more of where that came from for our friends over at KSR+.

A Sensational Cincinnati Red Debuts

There was plenty of hype surrounding Chase Burns when Cincinnati Reds called up the pitcher for his debut on Tuesday night. Facing off against the Yankees, he was even better than expected. According to OptaStats, Burns is the only pitcher in the last 50 years to strike out the first five batters he faced in his MLB debut. He got one more strikeout to cash over 5.5 strikeouts in the second inning. He went 5.0 innings, recorded 8 Ks, allowed six hits and three earned runs. It looked like the Reds were going to let a win slip away, but got a walk-off in the 11th for a 5-4 win.

Phil Simms Stadium Coming to Morehead

The best football player to ever suit up for Morehead State will be honored this fall when the stadium gets a new name. The Eagles will play home football games at Phil Simms Stadium when the venue is rededicated in his honor ahead of the homecoming football game in October. A Springfield, KY native who played high school ball at Louisville Southern High, Simms was OVC Player of the Year in 1977 before becoming a two-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback for the New York Giants.

Unpopular Opinion Day on KSR

It’s hot outside, but the takes are going to be even hotter on Kentucky Sports Radio. It’s one of our favorite shows of the year, the day when each host and fans from around Big Blue Nation will share their most unpopular opinions. Prepare for some DOOZIES.

This is Not an Unpopular Opinion

I think we can all agree who should win the Bourbon County Fair’s Ugly Lamp Contest in a landslide.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2025-12-06