Kentucky Places 26 Players on NBA Opening Day Rosters
LEXINGTON, Ky. – As a new NBA season tips off Tuesday, Kentucky men’s basketball once again sits atop the nation with a total of 26 players on NBA opening day rosters. It marks the 15th consecutive season in which the Wildcats have set the standard for the most alumni in the league.
The total of 26 players is based off the NBA’s official opening-day roster list and includes all two-way and inactive players that finished their college careers at Kentucky.
UK is represented on a total of 19 NBA franchises to begin the 2026-27 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs lead the way with three Wildcats apiece on their rosters, while the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets each have two Cats on their respective teams.
Two Cats from last season’s team have secured spots in the association. First round draft pick Jayden Quaintance is set to begin his rookie year with the San Antonio Spurs, while Otega Oweh is a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Kentucky NBA contingent is coming off another highly successful season in 2025-26. Karl-Anthony Towns was crowned an NBA Champion with the New York Knicks, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second consecutive NBA MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey and Jamal Murray all earned All-NBA nods and were also all-star selections alongside Towns, Devin Booker and De’Aaron Fox.
Several Wildcats will be in action on day one of the regular season. Amari Williams and the Boston Celtics will tip things off at 3 p.m. against the Detroit Pistons, followed by Maxey, Justin Edwards and the Philadelphia 76ers squaring off against Towns and the New York Knicks at 7 p.m. In the nightcap at 9:30 p.m., Fox, Quaintance and Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs will take on Gilgeous-Alexander, Oweh, Cason Wallace and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. All games will air on NBC/Peacock.
Wildcats in the NBA (26)
76ers: Justin Edwards, Tyrese Maxey
Bucks: Tyler Herro
Celtics: Amari Williams
Clippers: Isaiah Jackson
Heat: Bam Adebayo, Nick Richards
Kings: Malik Monk
Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns
Lakers: Jarred Vanderbilt
Mavericks: PJ Washington
Nets: Julius Randle
Nuggets: Jamal Murray
Raptors: Immanuel Quickley
Rockets: Reed Sheppard, Oscar Tshiebwe
Spurs: De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, Jayden Quaintance
Suns: Devin Booker
Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Otega Oweh, Cason Wallace
Timberwolves: Trey Lyles
Trail Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe
Wizards: Anthony Davis
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
