By ADAM ZAGORIA
Kentucky leads all colleges with 27 players on opening-night NBA rosters, while Duke is in second with 25.
Of the 17 NBA franchises featuring a Wildcat, eight have multiple Kentucky players. Detroit and Sacramento each have a trio of Wildcats on their roster while the Clippers, Lakers, Heat, Knicks, Hornets and Trail Blazers each have two.
Wildcats in the NBA
Bam Adebayo – Miami Heat
Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
Brandon Boston Jr. – Los Angeles Clippers
Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers
Hamidou Diallo – Detroit Pistons
De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings
Wenyen Gabriel – Los Angeles Lakers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Tyler Herro – Miami Heat
Isaiah Jackson – Indiana Pacers
Keldon Johnson – San Antonio Spurs
Kevin Knox II – Detroit Pistons
Trey Lyles – Sacramento Kings
Tyrese Maxey – Philadelphia 76ers
Malik Monk – Sacramento Kings
Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets
Nerlens Noel – Detroit Pistons
Immanuel Quickley – New York Knicks
Julius Randle – New York Knicks
Nick Richards – Charlotte Hornets
Olivier Sarr – Portland Trail Blazers
Shaedon Sharpe – Portland Trail Blazers
Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
Jarred Vanderbilt – Utah Jazz
John Wall – Los Angeles Clippers
PJ Washington – Charlotte Hornets
Tyty Washington Jr. – Houston Rockets
For the 11th straight season @KentuckyMBB leads all schools in number of players on NBA rosters @DukeMBB is 2nd https://t.co/RrXWkVDM3O pic.twitter.com/5xg4fmHcNM
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 26, 2022
Duke’s 25 NBA players also join more than 30 former players, coaches, managers and Duke graduates that serve on NBA coaching staffs or in front office roles. That includes 1984 Duke graduate Adam Silver (NBA Commissioner), Grant Hill (part owner of the Atlanta Hawks), Elton Brand (General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers) and Trajan Landon (General Manager of the New Orleans Pelicans).
Blue Devils in the NBA
Grayson Allen – Milwaukee
Marvin Bagley III – Detroit
Paolo Banchero – Orlando
RJ Barrett – New York
Vernon Carey Jr. – Washington
Wendell Carter Jr. – Orlando
Seth Curry – Brooklyn*
AJ Griffin – Atlanta
Brandon Ingram – New Orleans
Kyrie Irving – Brooklyn
Jalen Johnson – Atlanta
Tre Jones – San Antonio
Tyus Jones – Memphis
Trevor Keels – New York
Luke Kennard – LA Clippers
Wendell Moore Jr. – Minnesota
Mason Plumlee – Charlotte
Cam Reddish – New York
Austin Rivers – Minnesota
Jayson Tatum – Boston
Gary Trent Jr. – Toronto
Jack White – Denver
Mark Williams – Charlotte
Zion Williamson – New Orleans
Justise Winslow – Portland
* – inactive
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