Despite eight teams missing out on the NBA restart, Kentucky and Duke still have the largest college presences for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Both Kentucky and Duke had 17 players appear on official team rosters released by the NBA on Tuesday. The league is on the brink of resuming the 2019-20 season after play was halted March 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 22 teams playing “in the bubble” at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, 12 will feature former UK players.
Four teams will have multiple Wildcats, led by the Oklahoma City Thunder with three (Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nerlens Noel).
Boston Celtics (1) – Enes Kanter
Dallas Mavericks (1) – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Denver Nuggets (1) – Jamal Murray
LA Clippers (1) – Patrick Patterson
LA Lakers (2) – Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo (injured)
Miami Heat (2) – Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro
Milwaukee Bucks (1) – Eric Bledsoe
OKC Thunder (3) – Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nerlens Noel
Phoenix Suns (1) – Devin Booker
Portland Trail Blazers (1) – Wenyen Gabriel
Sacramento Kings (1) – De’Aaron Fox
San Antonio Spurs (2) – Keldon Johnson, Trey Lyles (injured)
Of the 17 Wildcats on NBA restart rosters, UK head coach John Calipari has coached 16 of them.
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— Ball Durham (@Ball_Durham) July 18, 2020
As for Duke, their 17 players will suit up for nine teams, with the New Orleans Pelicans featuring five former Blue Devils and the Memphis Grizzlies two. (Justice Winslow is now out with a hip injury
Boston Celtics (1) – Jayson Tatum
Brooklyn Nets (1) – Lance Thomas
Denver Nuggets (1) – Mason Plumlee
Houston Rockets (1) – Austin Rivers
Los Angeles Lakers (1) – Quinn Cook
Memphis Grizzlies (3) – Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Justice Winslow
New Orleans Pelicans (5) – Frank Jackson, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, JJ Redick, Jahlil Okafor
Portland Trailblazers (1) – Gary Trent Jr.
Sacramento Kings (3) – Marvin Bagley III, Harry Giles III, Jabari Parker
The official season will resume July 30 to determine which teams make the NBA Playoffs. The 22 teams in Orlando consist of the 16 teams (eight per conference) in current playoff positions and the six teams that are currently six games or fewer behind the eighth seed in their respective conferences (nine total in the Eastern Conference and 13 in the Western Conference). Exhibition games began Wednesday.
The NBA Playoffs will begin Aug. 17 in the traditional 16-team playoff field – the exception being that all games will be played in Orlando. There will be no live audience or tickets available for the remaining 2019-20 season restart games through the NBA Finals due to COVID-19 health protocols.
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