A number of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players have been honored with various Southeastern Conference and national awards.
Forty-three former Kentucky men's basketball players, coaches, and contributors are honored in Rupp Arena with banners representing their numbers hung from the rafters. With the streamlining of jersey numbers by the NCAA, the jerseys are retired but the numbers remain active. To have a banner hung, the athlete must be elected to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame.[ 1]
No.
Name
Years
Note
22
Cliff Barker 1947–49
1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five
12
Ralph Beard 1946–49
1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five
22
Jerry Bird 1954–56
50
Bob Burrow 1955–56
1956 Second Team All-America
56
Burgess Carey 1925–26
24
Johnny Cox 1957–59
1958 NCAA Champion, 1959 First Team All-America
10
Louie Dampier 1965–67
1967 Second Team All-America
7
John DeMoisey 1932–34
00
Tony Delk 1993–96
1996 NCAA Champion, 1996 First Team All-America, 1996 SEC Player of the Year, 1996 NCAA Tournament M.O.P.
42
Bill Evans 1952–55
32
Richie Farmer 1989–92
One of the Unforgettables
12
Deron Feldhaus 1989–92
One of the Unforgettables
21
Jack Givens 1975–78
1978 NCAA Champion, 1978 Second Team All-America, 1978 SEC Player of the Year, 1978 NCAA Tournament M.O.P.
44
Phil Grawemeyer 1954–56
15
Alex Groza 1945–49
1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five
35
Kevin Grevey 1973–75
1975 First Team All-America, 1973 and 1975 SEC Player of the Year
–
Joe B. Hall 1973–85
1978 National Championship Head Coach
6
Cliff Hagan 1951–54
1951 NCAA Champion, 1952 First Team All-America, 1954 First Team All-America
52
Vernon Hatton 1956–58
1958 NCAA Champion
–
Basil Hayden 1920–22
44
Dan Issel 1968–70
UK All-time leading scorer, 1970 First Team All-America
27
Wallace Jones 1946–49
1948 NCAA Champion, 1949 NCAA Champion, One of the Fabulous Five
–
Bill Keightley 1962–2008
Mr. Wildcat , Equipment Manager
–
Cawood Ledford 1953–92
Voice of the Wildcats
4
Kyle Macy 1978–80
1978 NCAA Champion, 1980 First Team All-America, 1980 SEC Player of the Year
44
Cotton Nash 1962–64
1964 First Team All-America
24
Jamal Mashburn 1991–93
1993 First Team All-America, 1993 SEC Player of the Year
34
John Pelphrey 1989–92
One of the Unforgettables
22
Mike Pratt 1967–70
1970 Second Team All-America
–
Rick Pitino 1990–97
1996 National Championship Head Coach
30
Frank Ramsey 1951–54
1951 NCAA Champion, 1954 Second Team All-America
26
Kenny Rollins 1943–48
1948 NCAA Champion
42
Pat Riley 1965–67
1966 First Team All-America, 1966 SEC Player of the Year
53
Rick Robey 1975–78
1978 NCAA Champion, 1978 Second Team All-America
4
Layton Rouse 1938–40
–
Adolph Rupp 1931–72
1948, 1949, 1951, 1958 National Championship Head Coach
–
Forest Sale 1931–33
Helms POY 1933, 2 time all American 1932 and 1933
–
Carey Spicer 1929–31
77
Bill Spivey 1950–51
1951 NCAA Champion, 1951 First Team All-America
20
Gayle Rose 1953–55
16
Lou Tsioropoulos 1951–54
1951 NCAA Champion
34
Kenny Walker 1983–86
1986 First Team All-America, 1985–86 SEC Player of the Year
11
Sean Woods 1990–92
One of the Unforgettables
National Players of the Year [ edit ] The UK players listed here received at least one NCAA-recognized national player of the year award.
Oscar Tshiebwe is the first UK player to receive all of the NCAA-recognized national player of the year awards in a single season, doing so in 2021–22.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award [ edit ] The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award has been presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 2015 to the top Division I center .
The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players that were named First or Second Team All-Americans:
Tony Delk was a Consensus First Team All-America selection in 1995–96.Tayshaun Prince was a Consensus First Team All-America selection in 2001 and 2002.John Wall was a Consensus First Team All-America selection in 2009–10.Wayman Tisdale Award [ edit ] The Wayman Tisdale Award , known before the 2010–11 season as the USBWA National Freshman of the Year Award, has been presented by the United States Basketball Writers Association since 1989 to the top freshman in Division I men's basketball.
NABC Freshman of the Year [ edit ] The National Association of Basketball Coaches , the trade organization for college men's basketball coaches, has presented its own Freshman of the Year award since the 2016–17 season.
[ edit ] The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players who have been named SEC Player of the Year :
[ edit ] The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players who have been named either SEC Freshman of the Year (awarded by the league's head coaches, and open only to freshmen) or SEC Newcomer of the Year (awarded by the AP and open to any player in his first year at an SEC school, including transfers).
All listed players won both awards except for the following:
One of the NCAA's main student-athlete awards is the Elite 90 Award (previously the Elite 88 and Elite 89), presented at the site of each of the NCAA's 90 annual championship finals. In Division I men's basketball, eligible individuals are those on the playing squads of all Final Four participants who have played at least two seasons at their current school. The recipient is the eligible player with the highest grade point average, with completed credit hours as a tiebreaker if needed.
Year
Player
Class
Position
2014
Sam Malone
Junior
Guard
[ edit ] The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players who have been named McDonald's All-Americans
Year
Player
Position
Hometown (High School)
1978
Dwight Anderson
Forward
Dayton, OH (Roth)
1978
Clarence Tillman
Forward
Philadelphia, PA (West Philadelphia )
1978
Chuck Verderber Forward
Lincoln, IL (Lincoln )
1979
Sam Bowie Center
Lebanon, PA (Lebanon )
1979
Derrick Hord
Guard
Bristol, TN (Tennessee )
1979
Dirk Minniefield Guard
Lexington, KY (Lafayette )
1980
Bret Bearup
Center
Greenlawn, NY (Harborfields )
1980
Jim Master
Guard
Fort Wayne, IN (Paul Harding )
1982
Roger Harden
Guard
Valparaiso, IN (Valparaiso )
1982
Kenny "Sky" Walker Forward
Roberta, GA (Crawford County Comprehensive)
1983
Winston Bennett Forward
Louisville, KY (Male )
1983
James Blackmon Guard
Marion, IN (Marion )
1984
Ed Davender Guard
Brooklyn, NY (Boys and Girls )
1984
Cedric Jenkins
Center
Dawson, GA (Terrell County)
1984
Richard Madison
Forward
Memphis, TN (Northside )
1985
Irving Thomas
Forward
Miami, FL (Carol City )
1986
Rex Chapman Guard
Owensboro, KY (Apollo )
1987
Eric Manuel Guard
Macon, GA (Southwest)
1988
Chris Mills Forward
Los Angeles, CA (Fairfax )
1992
Tony Delk Guard
Brownsville, TN (Haywood)
1992
Rodrick Rhodes Forward
Jersey City, NJ (St. Anthony's )
1994
Antoine Walker Forward
Chicago, IL (Mt. Carmel )
1995
Ron Mercer Forward
Nashville, TN (Goodpasture School )
1995
Wayne Turner Guard
Boston, MA (Beaver Country Day )
1998
Tayshaun Prince Forward
Compton, CA (Dominguez )
1999
Keith Bogans Guard
Alexandria, VA (DeMatha )
1999
Marvin Stone Center
Huntsville, AL (Grissom )
2001
Rashad Carruth
Guard
College Park, GA (Oak Hill )
2004
Joe Crawford Guard
Detroit, MI (Renaissance )
2004
Randolph Morris Center
Atlanta, GA (Landmark Christian)
2004
Rajon Rondo Guard
Louisville, KY (Oak Hill )
2007
Patrick Patterson Forward
Huntington, WV (Huntington )
2009
DeMarcus Cousins Center
Mobile, AL (LeFlore )
2010
Terrence Jones Forward
Portland, OR (Jefferson )
2010
Brandon Knight Guard
Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Pine Crest )
2010
Doron Lamb Guard
New York, NY (Oak Hill )
2011
Anthony Davis Forward
Chicago, IL (Perspectives Charter )
2011
Michael Gilchrist Forward
Elizabeth, NJ (St. Patrick )
2011
Marquis Teague Guard
Indianapolis, IN (Pike )
2011
Kyle Wiltjer [ a] Forward
Portland, OR (Jesuit )
2012
Archie Goodwin Guard
Sherwood, AR (Sylvan Hills )
2012
Alex Poythress Forward
Clarksville, TN (Northeast)
2013
Aaron Harrison Guard
Richmond, TX (Travis )
2013
Andrew Harrison Guard
Richmond, TX (Travis )
2013
Dakari Johnson Center
New York, NY (Montverde )
2013
Marcus Lee [ b] Forward
Antioch, CA (Deer Valley )
2013
Julius Randle Forward
Dallas, TX (Prestonwood )
2013
James Young Guard
Rochester, MI (Rochester )
2014
Devin Booker Guard
Moss Point, MS (Moss Point )
2014
Trey Lyles Forward
Indianapolis, IN (Arsenal Tech )
2014
Karl Towns Jr. Forward
Metuchen, NJ (St. Joseph )
2014
Reid Travis [ c] Forward
Minneapolis, MN (De La Salle )
2014
Tyler Ulis Guard
Chicago, IL (Roselle Catholic )
2015
Isaiah Briscoe
Guard
Union, NJ (Roselle Catholic )
2016
Bam Adebayo Forward
Little Washington, NC (High Point Christian Academy )
2016
De'Aaron Fox Guard
Cypress, TX (Cypress Lakes )
2016
Sacha Killeya-Jones [ d] Forward
Chapel Hill, NC (Virginia Episcopal )
2016
Malik Monk Guard
Lepanto, AR (Bentonville )
2017
Quade Green [ e] Guard
Philadelphia, PA (Neumann–Goretti )
2017
Kevin Knox II Forward
Tampa, FL (Tampa Catholic )
2017
Nick Richards Center
Kingston, Jamaica (The Patrick School )
2017
Jarred Vanderbilt Forward
Missouri City, TX (Victory Prep)
2017
P. J. Washington Forward
Frisco, TX (Findlay Prep )
2018
Keldon Johnson Forward
South Hill, VA (Oak Hill Academy )
2018
E. J. Montgomery Forward
Fort Pierce, FL (Joseph Wheeler )
2018
Immanuel Quickley Guard
Havre de Grace, MD (John Carroll School )
2019
Tyrese Maxey Guard
Garland, TX (South Garland )
2019
Oscar Tshiebwe [ f] Center
Lubumbashi, DR Congo (Kennedy Catholic )
2019
Kahlil Whitney Forward
Chicago, IL (Roselle Catholic )
2020
Brandon Boston Jr. Guard
Norcross, GA (Sierra Canyon )
2020
Terrence Clarke Guard
Dorchester, MA (Brewster Academy )
2021
Daimion Collins Forward
Atlanta, TX (Atlanta )
2022
Chris Livingston Forward
Akron, OH (Oak Hill Academy )
2022
Cason Wallace Guard
Dallas, TX (Richardson )
2023
Aaron Bradshaw [ g] Guard
Roselle, NJ (Camden )
2023
Justin Edwards Forward
Philadelphia, PA (Imhotep )
2023
Reed Sheppard Guard
London, KY (North Laurel)
2023
D. J. Wagner Guard
Camden, NJ (Camden )
^ Wiltjer transferred to Gonzaga after the 2012–13 season.
^ Lee transferred to California after the 2015–16 season.
^ Travis began his college career at Stanford , playing there through the 2017–18 season. He graduated from Stanford with a year of remaining athletic eligibility and transferred to UK for the 2018–19 season.
^ Killeya-Jones transferred to NC State after the 2017–18 season.
^ Geeen transferred to Washington after the 2017–18 season.
^ Tshiebwe began his college career at West Virginia , transferring to Kentucky after the 2020 fall semester. He began play at UK in 2021–22.
^ Bradshaw transferred to Ohio State after the 2023–24 season.
Naismith Hall of Fame Members [ edit ] The following Kentucky players, coaches, and contributors have been enshrined as individuals in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame .
Year Inducted
Name
Position
Years at Kentucky
Enshrined as
1969
Adolph Rupp
Head Coach
1930–1972
Coach
1978
Cliff Hagan
Player, Administrator
1950–1954; 1975–1989
Player
1982
Frank Ramsey
Player
1950–1953
Player
1993
Dan Issel
Player
1967–1970
Player
2000
C.M. Newton
Player, Administrator
1949–1951; 1989–2000
Contributor
2008
Pat Riley
Player
1964–1967
Coach
2013
Rick Pitino
Head Coach
1989–1997
Coach
2015
John Calipari
Head Coach
2009–2024
Coach
2015
Louie Dampier
Player
1964–1967
Player
2020
Eddie Sutton
Head Coach
1985–1989
Coach
UK Hall of Fame Members
In addition to these, Adrian Smith was a member of the 1960 US Olympic team that was inducted as a unit in 2010.
The following Kentucky players and coaches have represented their country in basketball in the Summer Olympic Games:
^ "UK Creates Athletics Hall of Fame" . UK Wildcats News . April 27, 2005. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017 .^ Adolph Rupp trophy winner: John Wall, Kentucky Archived January 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ^ "Davis wins Wooden National Player of the Year Award" . WKYT-TV . March 31, 2012. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .^ "Past Winners: College Awards" . Atlanta Tipoff Club. Retrieved March 19, 2022 .^ "Oscar Robertson Trophy" . United States Basketball Writers Association. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2022 .^ "Awards: AP Player of the Year Winner" . Sports-Reference CBB . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 19, 2022 .^ "Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe Wins 2022 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's Men's Player of the Year" (Press release). Los Angeles Athletic Club. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022 .^ "Cooley, SEC's Tshiebwe, Kessler Named 2022 Men's Naismith Awards Winners" (Press release). Atlanta Tipoff Club. April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022 .^ Beard, Aaron (April 1, 2022). "Kentucky's Tshiebwe named AP men's college player of year" . Associated Press . Retrieved April 1, 2022 . ^ "Arizona's Lloyd Headlines NABC Division I Major Award Winners" (Press release). National Basketball Coaches Association. March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022 .^ DeCourcy, Mike (March 9, 2022). "Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe is Sporting News' College Basketball Player of the Year" . Sporting News . Retrieved March 9, 2022 . ^ "Kentucky's Tshiebwe Wins 2021–22 Oscar Robertson Trophy" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. April 1, 2022. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 .^ a b c [1] [permanent dead link NABC.org Retrieved on March 30, 2009^ [2] AP via ESPN.com Retrieved on March 30, 2009^ a b "Sporting News' College Basketball All-America Team - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News" . Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010 .Sporting News Retrieved on March 9, 2010
"Retired Jerseys" . University of Kentucky Athletics . University of Kentucky Wildcats Athletic Department. 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics
.jpg)
