Kentucky is the school with the most players on opening-night NBA rosters for the sixth consecutive year, the league announced. Twenty-five players who played games and finished their college careers with the Wildcats are part of opening-night rosters.
Kentucky issued a separate release listing 27 players, but the discrepancy comes from the fact that A) Alex Poythress of the Pacers is a two-way player and the NBA doesn’t officially count him; and B) Enes Kanter of the Knicks attended Kentucky but never played for them.
New Orleans features four Kentucky players: DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Darius Miller and Rajon Rondo. Miller, who played for the Pelicans from 2012-14 after winning a national championship alongside Davis at Kentucky, returned to the NBA this season following three seasons in Germany.
Phoenix also has four Kentucky players on its roster: Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Brandon Knight and Tyler Ulis.
Colleges With Most NBA Players
|
Rank |
School |
Players |
|
1. |
Kentucky |
25 |
|
2. |
Duke |
20 |
|
3. |
Kansas |
16 |
|
4. |
UCLA |
15 |
|
5. |
North Carolina |
14 |
Wildcats in the NBA (via UK)
Bam Adebayo – Miami Heat
Eric Bledsoe – Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
Willie Cauley-Stein – Sacramento Kings
DeMarcus Cousins – New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans
De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings
Andrew Harrison – Memphis Grizzlies
Dakari Johnson – Oklahoma City Thunder
Enes Kanter – New York Knicks
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – Charlotte Hornets
Brandon Knight – Phoenix Suns
Skal Labissiere – Sacramento Kings
DeAndre Liggins – Milwaukee Bucks
Trey Lyles – Denver Nuggets
Jodie Meeks – Washington Wizards
Darius Miller – New Orleans Pelicans
Malik Monk – Charlotte Hornets
Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets
Nerlens Noel – Dallas Mavericks
Patrick Patterson – Oklahoma City Thunder
Alex Poythress – Indiana Pacers
Julius Randle – Los Angeles Lakers
Rajon Rondo – New Orleans Pelicans
Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
Tyler Ulis – Phoenix Suns
John Wall – Washington Wizards
(Release via UK Athletics)
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