List of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players

This is a list of Kentucky Wildcats basketball players who have attained notability through their performance in the sport of basketball and other endeavors. The list includes over 150 current and former players. The list is presented in alphabetical order but is sortable by the years and positions at which they played.

List of current and former players

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Name Position Hometown First season Last season Notes
Chuck Aleksinas Center Litchfield, Connecticut 1978 1979 Member of the 1978 National Championship team. Transferred after his sophomore season to Connecticut.
Shagari Alleyne Center Bronx, New York 2004 2006 Tallest player in the history of Kentucky basketball (7'3").
Derek Anderson Guard Louisville, Kentucky 1996 1997 Member of the 1996 National Championship team. Transferred to Kentucky from Ohio State.
Dwight Anderson Guard Dayton, Ohio 1979 1980 Nicknamed the Blur. Transferred after his sophomore season to Southern Cal.
Kelenna Azubuike Forward Tulsa, Oklahoma 2003 2005 Entered the NBA Draft after his junior season.
Scotty Baesler Guard Lexington, Kentucky 1961 1963 Former U.S. Congressman, Kentucky 6th District (D).
Antwain Barbour Guard Elizabethtown, Kentucky 2003 2004
Cliff Barker Guard Yorktown, Indiana 1947 1949 Member of the 1948 and the 1949 National Championship teams. Was an All-SEC guard in 1948 and 1949. His jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
Dale Barnstable Guard Antioch, Illinois 1947 1950 Member of the 1948 and the 1949 National Championship teams.
Ralph Beard Guard Louisville, Kentucky 1946 1949 Three time consensus First team All-American. Member of the 1948 and the 1949 National Championship teams. One of Rupp's Fabulous Five. His jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
Winston Bennett Forward Louisville, Kentucky 1984 1988 Was an All-SEC forward. Was Kentucky Mr. Basketball his senior season in high school. Former head coach of Kentucky State.
Jerry Bird Forward Corbin, Kentucky 1954 1956 His jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
James Blackmon Guard Marion, Indiana 1984 1987
Eric Bledsoe Guard Birmingham, Alabama 2010 2010 An All-SEC Freshman in 2010. Declared for the NBA Draft after his freshman season.
Keith Bogans Guard Alexandria, Virginia 2000 2003 Was the 2003 SEC Player of the Year. Was a consensus second team All-American in 2003. He is #4 on Kentucky's scoring list.
Devin Booker Guard Moss Point, Mississippi 2015 2015 An All-SEC guard in 2015. Declared for the NBA Draft after his freshman season.
Sam Bowie Center Lebanon, Pennsylvania 1980 1984 Was a consensus second team All-American in 1983. His #31 jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena. Was the #2 overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft.
Michael Bradley Forward Worcester, Massachusetts 1998 1999 Member of the 1998 National Championship team. Transferred after his sophomore season to Villanova.
Ramel Bradley Guard New York, New York 2005 2008 Nicknamed Smooth. Averaged 20 points per game his senior season.
Bob Brannum Center Winfield, Kansas 1943 1944 Was a consensus first team All-American in 1944. Served in World War II. Transferred after his sophomore season to Michigan State.
Al Bruno Center West Chester, Pennsylvania 1949 1949 Member of the 1949 National Championship team. Also a three-sport athlete at Kentucky playing football and track with basketball.
Bob Burrow Forward Wells, Texas 1955 1956 Was a consensus second team All-American in 1956. His #50 jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
Dwane Casey Guard Morganfield, Kentucky 1976 1979 Member of the 1978 National Championship team. Current Head Coach of the Toronto Raptors.
Mike Casey Guard Shelbyville, Kentucky 1969 1971 Three-time First team All-SEC. Missed the 1970 season with a broken leg.
Willie Cauley-Stein Center Olathe, Kansas 2013 2015 Was a consensus first team All-American in 2015. Was the 2015 NABC Defensive Player of the Year. Declared for the NBA Draft after his junior season.
Rex Chapman Guard Owensboro, Kentucky 1987 1988 Nicknamed King Rex. Was First team All-SEC both of his two seasons. Declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.
Larry Conley Guard Ashland, Kentucky 1964 1966 One of Rupp's Runts. A three-time All-SEC player. Current College Basketball TV broadcaster with Fox Sports.
Jimmy Dan Conner Guard Lawrenceburg, Kentucky 1973 1975 Was an All-SEC player in 1973.
DeMarcus Cousins Center Mobile, Alabama 2010 2010 Was a consensus second team All-American in 2010. Was the 2010 SEC Freshman of the Year. Declared for the NBA Draft after his freshman season.
Johnny Cox Guard Hazard, Kentucky 1956 1959 Member of the 1958 National Championship team. Was a consensus first team All-American in 1958. His #24 jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
Joe Crawford Guard Detroit, Michigan 2005 2008
Louie Dampier Guard Indianapolis, Indiana 1965 1967 Was a two-time consensus second team All-American in 1966 and 1967. Was a member of Rupp's Runts. Played 12 seasons in the ABA and NBA with the Kentucky Colonels and San Antonio Spurs; named to the ABA All-Time Team in 1997; inducted as a player to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Erik Daniels Forward Cincinnati, Ohio 2001 2004
Dan Issel Forward Batavia, Illinois 1968 1970 The Wildcats' all-time leading men's scorer and a two-time consensus All-American in 1969 (second team) and 1970 (first team). Played 15 seasons in the ABA and NBA with the Kentucky Colonels and Denver Nuggets; named to the ABA All-Time Team in 1997; inducted as a player to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. Also coached the Nuggets in six seasons during two stints.
Jamal Mashburn Forward The Bronx, New York 1990 1993 Consensus first-team All-American (1993) and SEC Player of the Year (1993)
Julius Randle Forward Dallas, Texas 2014 2014 Entered into 2014 NBA draft after his freshman season.
Pat Riley Forward Schenectady, New York 1965 1967 Member of Rupp's Runts who played nine seasons in the NBA, winning an NBA title with the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers. Went on to greater fame as a coach, winning four NBA titles with the Lakers and one with the Miami Heat; named one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History in 1996 and inducted to the Hall of Fame as a coach in 2008.
Aminu Timberlake Forward Chicago, Illinois 1992 1995
Jack Tingle Guard Bedford, Kentucky 1944 1947
Karl-Anthony Towns Forward Metuchen, New Jersey 2015 2015 Was a consensus second team All-American in 2015. The #1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, the second in UK history. Unanimous selection as NBA Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Lou Tsioropoulos Guard Lynn, Massachusetts 1950 1953 1951 National Championship team. His #16 jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
Wayne Turner Guard Boston, Massachusetts 1996 1999 Member 1996 and 1998 National Championship teams.
Melvin Turpin Center Lexington, Kentucky 1981 1984 Was a consensus second team All-American in 1984.
Tyler Ulis Guard Lima, Ohio 2015 Present
Eloy Vargas Forward Moca, Dominican Republic 2011 2012 Member of the 2012 National Championship team.
Antoine Walker Forward Chicago, Illinois 1995 1996 Member of the 1996 National Championship team. Was a first team All-SEC in 1996.
Kenny Walker Forward Roberta, Georgia 1983 1986 Was the 1985 and 1986 SEC Player of the Year. Was a consensus first team All-American in 1986.
Bobby Watson Forward Owensboro, Kentucky 1949 1952 Member of the 1949 and the 1951 National Championship teams.
John Wall Guard Raleigh, North Carolina 2010 2010 Was a consensus first team All-American in 2010. The #1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, the first in UK history.
Kyle Wiltjer Forward Portland, Oregon 2012 2013 Member of the 2012 National Championship team. Transferred to Gonzaga after sophomore season.
Sean Woods Guard Indianapolis, Indiana 1989 1992 Was a member of the Unforgettables. Former head coach at Morehead State.
James Young Guard Rochester, Michigan 2014 2014 Entered into 2014 NBA draft after his freshman season.

References

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