BBNBA: Recap of all 33 former Kentucky players who saw NBA action this season

The 2025-26 NBA regular season is in the books. 33 former Kentucky players saw on-court action this year, and several of them showed out in a big way. Some broke records. As we patiently wait for Mark Pope to recruit future Wildcats, let’s take a look at the numbers that Wildcats of the past who are now in the NBA put up.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the frontrunner for MVP

Quade Green’s backup at Kentucky is on his way to win back-to-back NBA MVP awards. A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a meteoric rise ever since he first set foot on campus in Lexington. This season, the Finals MVP is riding a historically great NBA record of 140 (and counting) consecutive games of scoring at least 20 points. He eclipsed Wilt Chamberlain back in March and continues to churn out huge scoring numbers like it’s no big deal. SGA may go down as the best player to ever come through Kentucky.

Cason Wallace led the NBA in steals

Having one player with the highest scoring mark in the league alongside a teammate with the most steals in the league is a pretty good combination. The OKC Thunder have exactly that with SGA and Cason Wallace. The former ‘Cat has accelerated his defensive game this season, leading the league with 150 total steals, barely edging out Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels’ 149.

Tyrese Maxey solidified himself as a legit star

Tyrese Maxey has been on the rise for several years, but he cemented himself as an absolute superstar this season. The former ‘Cat, who desperately wishes he had gotten a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament, set a career-high in points this season, putting up 28.3 per game. He also made his second All-Star game and has effectively replaced the oft-injured Joel Embiid as the face of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Devin Booker is a scoring machine

No one thought the Phoenix Suns would be good this year after they traded Kevin Durant for a fraction of what they gave up to acquire him, but Devin Booker remained committed to the cause and helped the Suns reach the 7-seed in the West. Book has averaged at least 24 points in nine different seasons before turning 30 years old, which is second only behind KD and LeBron James, who did it 10 times, tying him with Shaquille O’Neal, and is one better than Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. That’s good company.

Jamal Murray makes first All-Star Game

Jamal Murray will always be the Robin to Nikola Jokic’s Batman as long as the two are teammates, but Murray has been a lethal Robin this season. Robin, er, I mean The Blue Arrow, set a career-high in points per game at 25.4 and made his first All-Star game appearance. He has also been great in the clutch for his team, trailing only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in likely winners for the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award.

Julius Randle led the BBNBA in triple-doubles

Across the entirety of the BBNBA, there were only four triple-doubles. Julius Randle had three of them. The fourth was the man who was part of the trade that sent Randle to Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns. Randle helped lead the Wolves to the 6-seed in the West and looks to make a playoff run. Meanwhile, Towns had a solid year himself, making his 6th All-Star Game and helping the Knicks to the 3-seed in the East.

Keldon Johnson will probably win the NBA 6th Man of the Year

Keldon Johnson has seen it all in San Antonio, but now he is finally seeing team success. The Spurs are a legit contender to win it all, and they are playing better than anyone in the NBA right now. Johnson used to be the star of a bad Spurs team, but now he is the 6th man of a great Spurs team, and he will most likely win 6th Man of the Year for his efforts. He averaged 13.2 points off the bench this season, giving way for his teammates, including fellow Wildcat De’Aaron Fox, to shine.

Yep, Bam Adebayo really did score 83 points in a game

Wilt Chamberlain, Bam Adebayo, Kobe Bryant. In that order. Bam, because the unlikeliest entry into the NBA record books by dropping 83 points in a single game of basketball, surpassing Kobe Bryant as the most points in a single game with video proof. Say what you want about how he got there, but whatever. No one will remember the late fouls down the stretch that helped get him there. Meanwhile, his teammate and fellow former Kentucky brother Tyler Herro wasn’t too bad at scoring himself…when he played. The Bucket was injured most of the season but averaged over 20 points per game in the 33 games he did play.

Reed Sheppard had a sophomore surge

There was no sophomore slump for Reed Sheppard. Quite the opposite, actually. With starting guard Fred VanVleet out for the season, Stacey’s baby boy stepped up and played great for the Houston Rockets. He averaged 13.5 points per game and was one of the most reliable knock-down shooters in the game while occasionally coming up with a Tayshawn-like chase-down block. Sheppard has officially blasted off in Houston.

Other BBNBA Notes:

• Immanuel Quickley quietly had quite the season. He averaged over 16 points per game and helped get the Raptors up to the 5th seed in the East.
• Rob Dillingham got a new lease on life when the Wolves traded him to the Bulls. Chicago has turned him loose, and the future looks bright for the shifty scorer. He joined forces with Nick Richards, who is also looking for a fresh start after a mediocre run with Phoenix.
• Big Blue Nation’s heart should go out to Anthony Davis. He was traded to the Washington Wizards this season after being unable to stay healthy with the Dallas Mavericks. It looks like that Luka trade may have been the spark that sent his career on the downslope.
• Back in Dallas, PJ Washington remained his reliable self. He averaged 14.2 points as the team will look to rebuild around him as one of the centerpieces of the team. He and Malik Monk, out in Sacramento, remain solid contributors on a team that otherwise traded off all of their stars.
• Isaiah Jackson, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Justin Edwards did not play much, but they played often. Jackson appeared in 55 games for the Clippers, Vando 65 games for the Lakers, and Edwards 64 games for Philly. They each averaged around five or six points per game, but were a reliable part of their teams’ rotations.
• Oh, and yes. Shaedon Sharpe is still good at dunking.
• Shout out to several guys who keep hanging around in the NBA. Skal Labissiere played a few games for the Wizards, while Chris Livingston and Olivier Sarr both made a few appearances for Cleveland. Meanwhile, Jacob Toppin keeps hanging around in Atlanta, TyTy Washington Jr. clung onto a roster spot for the LA Clippers, and Antonio Reeves kept knocking down shots for Charlotte. Oh, and Oscar Tshiebwe is still good at rebounding, even on a horrible Jazz team.
• Rookies Koby Brea and Amari Williams each had good moments for their teams this season. Williams helped Boston win a dramatic game in overtime while Brea scored 20 points in a single game for the Suns.
• Transfer players still count as BBNBA, no matter what official policies might say. Adou Thiero played in 25 games for the Lakers, but did not make a huge impact. Up in Minnesota, Johnny Juzang played decently for the Timberwolves.

BBNBA 2025-26 Season Statistics

Player	GP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	Min
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	68	31.1	4.3	6.6	1.4	0.8	33.2
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	70	28.3	4.1	6.6	1.9	0.8	38
Devin Booker (PHX)	64	26.1	3.9	6	0.8	0.3	33.5
Jamal Murray (DEN)	75	25.4	4.4	7.1	0.9	0.4	35.4
Julius Randle (MIN)	79	21.1	6.7	5	1.1	0.2	33
Shaedon Sharpe (POR)	50	20.8	4.3	2.6	1.4	0.1	29.4
Tyler Herro (MIA)	33	20.5	4.8	4.1	0.7	0.4	31.3
Anthony Davis (WAS)	20	20.4	11.1	2.8	1.1	1.7	31.3
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	73	20.1	10	3.2	1.2	0.7	32.4
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	75	20.1	11.9	3	0.9	0.5	31
De’Aaron Fox (SAS)	72	18.6	3.8	6.2	1.2	0.3	31
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	70	16.4	4	5.9	1.3	0.1	31.9
P.J. Washington (DAL)	56	14.2	7	1.8	1	1.1	31
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	82	13.5	2.9	3.4	1.5	0.7	26.2
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	82	13.2	5.4	1.4	0.6	0.1	23.3
Malik Monk (SAC)	62	12.5	1.9	3	0.6	0.4	22
Cason Wallace (OKC)	77	8.6	3.1	2.6	1.9	0.4	26.6
Oscar Tshiebwe (UTA)	27	7.8	6.6	1.2	0.6	0.2	16.6
Isaiah Jackson (LAC)	55	6.7	5.3	0.9	0.7	0.9	16.5
Rob Dillingham (CHI)	65	6.3	2	2.2	0.7	0.1	14.9
Justin Edwards (PHI)	64	6	1.5	1.3	0.8	0.2	15.3
Nick Richards (CHI)	48	5.8	5.1	0.3	0.2	0.7	14.6
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	65	4.4	4.5	1.3	0.8	0.3	17.3
Skal Labissiere (WAS)	3	4.3	3	1	0.7	0.3	12.5
Koby Brea (PHX)	12	3.8	0.7	0.8	0.1	0	7
Olivier Sarr (CLE)	4	3.5	2.8	1.3	0.5	0.8	9.8
Chris Livingston (CLE)	3	3	1	0.3	0.3	0	5.8
Antonio Reeves (CHA)	10	2.7	0.8	0.3	0.1	0	6.8
Johnny Juzang (MIN)	21	2	0.8	0.3	0.1	0	4.2
Adou Thiero (LAL)	25	1.9	1.1	0.4	0.3	0.1	6
Jacob Toppin (ATL)	5	1.6	0.2	0.2	0	0.2	3.4
Amari Williams (BOS)	22	1.4	1.8	0.5	0.1	0.5	6.6
TyTy Washington Jr. (LAC)	16	1.3	0.4	1.1	0.4	0.2	5.5