5-star CG King Gibson scores Kentucky offer -- just as he said he would

2027 five-star guard King Gibson called his shot during Nike EYBL Session II and has been proven correct.

“Soon,” he told KSR when asked about a potential Kentucky offer, adding a smile.

Fast forward to Monday, and the 6-foot-4 combo from SPIRE Academy (Burlington, NC) has officially announced that, after nearly a year of contact from the Wildcats, Mark Pope finally pulled the trigger on a scholarship.

“Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Kentucky,” he wrote on social media. “Thank you (Kentucky Men’s Basketball).”

Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Kentucky! Thank you @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/QA4Rf8FvZE
— King Gibson (@thekinggibson8) May 18, 2026

Gibson told KSR he’s consistently heard from Pope, but Mo Williams has been a recent game-changer in his recruitment, calling up the five-star and talking with him for two hours after joining the Kentucky staff.

“He told me to keep going, keep being consistent, and keep making the right plays, being a scorer, showing that I can pass the ball too, and being in attack mode, every play,” he said of Williams’ feedback.

Get the On3 Top 10 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

As for the program as a whole, he believes in Pope and the staff to turn things around after a disappointing season. More importantly, he believes in the program’s future — one that could include the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit, Gibson.

“They see me as a point guard, a player with the ball in my hands that makes the right decision, but can play off the ball as well,” he said of the Wildcats. “It’s a historic program. A lot of guards have come out of there. Even with the new staff, they didn’t have a great year this year, but it’s a great staff coming in. You know the players they’ve developed. It’s great.”

Gibson averaged 16.8 points on 55.0 percent shooting, 60.0 percent from three and 70.8 percent at the line to go with 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals in three games in Memphis. He’s averaging 16.6 PPG on 53/53/60 splits to go with 3.1 RPG and 2.1 APG through two EYBL sessions.

Kentucky Basketball’s 2027 offers

It’s been a busy Monday for the Wildcats, who have now extended three new offers to ’27 and ’28 prospects. Yann Kamagate is the most recent — and first overall for Kentucky in ’28 — while ’27 4-star center Caleb Ourigou also earned one. Top-10 wing DeMarcus Henry, the son of late NFL wide receiver Chris Henry, also picked up an offer on Friday after Mark Pope watched him score 25 points.

Below is a list of the 2027 prospects Kentucky has offered so far.

Player	School	Height / Weight	Position	Rivals Industry Rating	National Rank	Position Rank
CJ Rosser	Southeastern Prep (Rocky Mount, NC)	6-9 / 195	PF	98.69	1	1
King Gibson	SPIRE Academy (Burlington, NC)	6-4/180	CG	98.21	2	1
Marcus Spears Jr.	Dynamic Prep (Plano, TX)	6-8 / 170	PF	98.16	3	2
Reese Alston	Second Baptist (Houston, TX)	6-2 / 160	PG	98.13	4	1
Paul Osaruyi	Bella Vista College Preparatory School (Glendale, AZ)	6-9 / 225	PF	98.10	5	3
Beckham Black	Southeastern Prep (Duncanville, TX)	6-3 / 180	PG	98.04	6	2
Nasir Anderson	Prolific Prep (Savannah, GA)	6-3 / 220	PG	97.99	7	3
Ryan Hampton	DME Academy (Rockwall, TX)	6-6 / 175	SG	97.95	8	1
Demarcus Henry	Compass Prep (Charlotte, NC)	6-7 / 200	SF	97.61	10	2
Jordan Page	Broughton (Raleigh, NC)	6-5 / 195	SG	97.57	11	2
Dawson Battie	St. Mark’s (Dallas, TX)	6-8 / 190	SF	96.84	14	4
Chase Lumpkin	McEachern (Powder Springs, GA)	6-4 / 180	SG	94.11	44	9
Caleb Ourigou	Overtime Elite (Woodmere, NY)	6-10 / 215	C	92.99	62	8