Rex Everett Chapman is an American former professional basketball player and social media influencer. Chapman was a high school phenom in Kentucky, winning numerous awards for his play. In two seasons at the University of Kentucky, he won further awards and scored more than 1,000 points. Chapman was the first draft pick of the expansion Charlotte Hornets and played on four National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. Over his 12-year career, he averaged 14.6 points per game and appeared in two slam dunk competitions.
Scott Anthony Padgett is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant to the head coach for Mississippi State men's basketball. He was formerly the head coach at Samford University. He played for the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Frank Vernon Ramsey Jr. was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6-3 forward/guard, he played his entire nine-year (1954–1964) NBA career with the Boston Celtics and played a major role in the early part of their dynasty, winning seven championships as part of the team. Ramsey was also a head coach for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA during the 1970–1971 season. Ramsey was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Clifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6′ 4″ forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li’l Abner", played his entire 10-year NBA career (1956–1966) with the St. Louis Hawks. He was also a player-coach for the Dallas Chaparrals in the first two-plus years of the American Basketball Association's existence (1967–1970). Hagan is a five-time NBA All-Star and an ABA All-Star. He won an NCAA basketball championship in 1951 as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats, and he won an NBA championship with the Hawks in 1958.
Leslie Henry Hunter was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA). Hunter played college basketball for the Loyola Ramblers and was the starting center on their NCAA championship team in 1963. He was a two-time ABA All-Star.
Willard Leon Sojourner was an American collegiate and professional basketball player and international coach. He played collegiately at Weber State University and went on to a professional career, winning a championship with the New York Nets and playing overseas.
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball program is the men's college basketball team of the University of Kentucky. It has eight NCAA championships, the best all-time winning percentage, and the most all-time victories. The Wildcats compete in the Southeastern Conference and are currently coached by John Calipari.
The 1957–58 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky. The head coach was Adolph Rupp. The team was a member of the Southeast Conference and played their home games at Memorial Coliseum. This squad was often nicknamed the "Fiddlin' Five".
Michael Anthony Edward Kidd-Gilchrist Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. Kidd-Gilchrist was drafted second overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2012 NBA draft. He played for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team from 2011 to 2012.
William Edwin Spivey was an American basketball player. A 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center, he played college basketball for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Kentucky Wildcats from 1949 to 1951. After his high school career, Spivey was recruited by the University of Kentucky. During his time with the Wildcats, he led the team to the 1951 NCAA tournament championship, and was voted Most Outstanding Player of the event. When a point shaving scandal was revealed that year, Spivey was accused of being involved, which he denied. He left the Wildcats in December 1951, and the university banned him from the squad in March 1952.
Anthony Marshon Davis Jr., nicknamed "AD", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the New Orleans Pelicans. He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an nine-time NBA All-Star and has been named to four All-NBA First Teams and four NBA All-Defensive Teams. In his first season with the Lakers, he won the 2020 NBA Finals. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He also won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers. Davis is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
Jerry Beck is an American former professional basketball player. During the 1980s and 1990s, he played in the Netherlands but is better known for his collegiate career at Middle Tennessee State University. Between 1978–79 and 1981–82, Beck scored 1,401 points, grabbed 782 rebounds and was twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. In addition, Beck was selected three straight years to the All-OVC First Team.
The Indiana–Kentucky rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the Indiana University Bloomington Hoosiers and the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The rivalry between these two schools, located about 180 miles (290 km) apart, dates to their first college football game in 1893, and has continued across all sports, with the men's basketball series gaining particular attention. The football game was previously played for a wooden Bourbon Barrel trophy, which was discontinued in 1999.
John Lloyd Crigler was an American basketball player best known as a starting forward for the "Fiddlin' Five," the University of Kentucky's 1958 NCAA championship team.
Tai Hikuroa Wynyard is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He began his career playing in his home country for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian NBL and the Super City Rangers of the New Zealand NBL. After a two-year stint in the United States playing college basketball for Kentucky, Wynyard returned to the Australian and New Zealand NBL.
The 1966 NCAA University Division basketball championship game was the final of the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and determined the national champion in the 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The game was held on March 19, 1966, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The Kentucky Wildcats, the number one ranked team in men's college basketball, faced the Texas Western Miners, who were ranked third in the nation. Texas Western's starting lineup of five African Americans was the first all-black lineup in an NCAA title game; their opponents, by contrast, fielded an all-white squad. The Miners won 72–65, claiming the school's first national championship in men's college basketball. Their victory challenged assumptions widely held about black players at the time, and major college programs intensified their recruiting efforts towards African-American players in the years following the game.
Paul Jamaine Washington Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. After being selected by the Hornets in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft with the 12th overall pick, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020. Washington was traded to the Mavericks in 2024.
Jim Rose was an American professional basketball player. After playing college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1968–1971), Rose was the eleventh overall pick of the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association in the 1971 NBA draft.
Don Mills is a former American college basketball player. He is best known as a key reserve on the University of Kentucky's 1958 NCAA championship team.
Jonathan Anh Juzang is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He began his college basketball career playing one season with the Kentucky Wildcats before transferring and spending two seasons with the UCLA Bruins. A two-time all-conference selection in the Pac-12, Juzang earned third-team All-American honors as a junior in 2022. As a sophomore, he was named to the All-Tournament Team of the 2021 NCAA tournament, as the Bruins advanced to the Final Four.
