Nation-Leading 22 Wildcats Set for NBA Playoffs
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After leading the NBA with the most players on opening-day rosters and the most to play in this year’s NBA All-Star Game, it should come as no surprise that the Kentucky men’s basketball program will also lead the way with 22 players participating in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Playoffs begin on Tuesday.
Of the 20 teams comprising the playoff field, 16 feature former UK players. Six teams have multiple Wildcats.
Boston Celtics – Amari Williams
Charlotte Hornets – Antonio Reeves
Cleveland Cavaliers – Olivier Sarr
Denver Nuggets – Jamal Murray
Houston Rockets – Reed Sheppard
Los Angeles Clippers – Isaiah Jackson and TyTy Washington Jr.
Los Angeles Lakers – Jarred Vanderbilt
Miami Heat – Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro
Minnesota Timberwolves – Julius Randle
New York Knicks – Karl-Anthony Towns
Philadelphia 76ers – Justin Edwards and Tyrese Maxey
Phoenix Suns – Koby Brea and Devin Booker
Portland Trail Blazers – Shaedon Sharpe
Oklahoma City Thunder – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace
San Antonio Spurs – De’Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson
Toronto Raptors – Immanuel Quickley
Kentucky’s 22 players led the Southeastern Conference which has 71 total players participating in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, the most of any conference.
Play gets underway on Tuesday. Adebayo, Herro and Reeves will be the first to tip off as the Hornets host the Heat at 7:30 p.m. ET with the game airing on Prime. Sharpe’s Blazers and the Suns featuring Brea and Booker will also play on the opening day.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Wallace own the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with the reigning NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Vanderbilt and the Lakers will open with Sheppard and the Rockets, while Murray and Nuggets will face Randle and the Timberwolves in the opening round. In the East, Sarr’s Cavaliers and Quickley’s Raptors will meet in the opening round.
Booker, Gilgeous-Alexander, Maxey, Murray and Towns were all selected to the 2026 NBA All-Star game, which was the most of any program in the country. Kentucky led all schools with 27 players on NBA Opening Day rosters ahead of the 2025-26 season. UK was represented on 21 NBA franchises with seven teams featuring multiple Wildcats.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
