Happy first day of the NBA season to all who celebrate. If not, and you find the NBA unwatchable for any number of reasons up to and including it being a constant reminder of how many elite basketball players came through Lexington over the last 15 years with only one title to show for it, then that’s cool too. Look at opening night in the NBA as an indicator that college basketball season is just around the corner.

This season, an incredible 30 former Wildcats made a roster to start the season. In case conceptualization of numbers is also not your thing, that is a lot.

If you want to be picky, you could say the true list is only 25 players, as five guys are technically on a two-way contract. This means they are on the team but can only dress for 50 regular-season games.

Regardless, the next closest college with alumni in the NBA is Duke with 21 players on opening-night rosters.

Some BBNBA things to get excited about

I understand the NBA is not for everyone, even otherwise hardcore basketball fans. But allow me to rattle off some reasons to watch former Kentucky players this season:

• Out of Kentucky’s 25 non-two-way players, 12 of them rank in the top 100 in the NBA according to ESPN which, again, is a lot.
• Reed Sheppard is one of the favorites to win Rookie of the Year. If his preseason is any indication, he might win it. He also has a borderline creepy mustache for some reason.
• Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle were involved in a blockbuster trade for one another just weeks ago, sending Towns to the Knicks and Randle to the Timberwolves (where he will play alongside another dynamic rookie, Rob Dillingham). Feels like drama.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a legit MVP candidate and will likely lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals. This is the same guy who used to back up Quade Green.
• Tyrese Maxey is the reigning Most Improved Player and NBA Cares Community Assist Award winner. He’s that good.
• Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, and Anthony Davis all won gold medals in the 2024 Olympics. Now they will vie for a golden NBA trophy. Also, Anthony Davis still has a unibrow.

I could keep going but if you still aren’t convinced the NBA is worth watching, Kentucky plays an exhibition game on Wednesday.

List of Kentucky players on opening night NBA rosters (including two-way players)