The Kentucky-to-the-NBA pipeline has never been more alive, and former Cats are thriving.

At the start of the NBA playoffs, 14 former Kentucky Wildcats were poised to chase a championship, etching their name into the league’s history books.

Now, as the dust settles after two intense rounds, just four teams remain — each carrying a piece of Big Blue Nation with them.

In the Western Conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and sophomore Cason Wallace, will clash with Julius Randle and rookie Rob Dillingham of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Over in the East, Karl-Anthony Towns has helped lead the New York Knicks to their first conference finals appearance since 2000, where they’ll go head-to-head with the Indiana Pacers.

Though out with a torn Achilles, former Kentucky and current Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson remains a piece of the squad’s Cinderella run to a championship.

This impressive showing guarantees that a team with a former Kentucky Wildcat will win an NBA title for the eighth time since 2000, continuing a tradition carried by legends like Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo and Jamal Murray.

The conference finals tip off with the Timberwolves heading down to face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET, followed by Pacers-Knicks at Madison Square Garden on May 21 at 8 p.m.

As of now, Gilgeous-Alexander and Wallace are favored to be the next Cats to win it all, with the Thunder holding the best odds at -180 to win the NBA Finals.

Whether it be a seasoned vet or a rising star, one thing holds true: Big Blue Nation will be represented on basketball’s biggest stage.

On Sunday, Koby Brea and Otega Oweh wrapped up their week-long showcase at the NBA Combine in Chicago.

The NBA invited 75 prospects to the showcase, which included various skill based drills, body measurements, and scrimmages. Subsequently, the draft stock for prospects fluctuated based on their performances.

Koby Brea

Standing at 6-foot-5 and three quarters without shoes, Brea was measured as the fourth tallest guard invited to the combine.

Despite being known for his sharp shooting Brea struggled on the day one scrimmage. He shot 2-8 from the field and only scoring five points.

However, Brea improved greatly on day two.

The former Wildcat scored 16 points on 6-12 shooting, which included four 3-pointers. In addition to collecting five rebounds.

In the two scrimmage games, Brea averaged 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and an assist on 37.5 minutes per game. The guard shot 37% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc.

After the combine, here’s the latest draft projections for Brea.

ESPN – No. 47 (Indiana Pacers)

Bleacher Report – No. 43 (Utah Jazz)

Sports Illustrated – No. 55 (Los Angeles Lakers)

According to ESPN, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated, Brea is a consensus late second-round draft choice. It doesn’t appear to be a matter if Brea will be selected in the draft, rather it’s a matter of where will he go.

Listed at 6-foot-7 with shoes makes Brea an oversized guard, which favors the NBA’s wave of tall guards over the last decade.

Additionally, Brea finished in the NCAA’s top-10 in 3-point percentage over the last two seasons. Making him a deep ball threat to satisfy spacing demands.

Otega Oweh

The wildcard out of the two Wildcat invitees, Oweh claimed the fourth-best shuttle run at the combine amongst guards.

On day one of scrimmages, the Kentucky guard played solid. Finishing with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. All while only playing 20 minutes.

As for day two, Oweh posted 14 points, five rebounds and two steals. He shot 4-8 from the field including a three.

Oweh finished with an average of 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals per game. While playing an average of 22.5 minutes per game.

From the field, Oweh shot a respectable 50% and a perfect one-for-one from three.

After the combine, here’s the latest draft projections for Oweh.

ESPN – Undrafted

Bleacher Report – Undrafted

Sports Illustrated – No. 58 (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Sports Illustrated is the outlet predicting Oweh’s draft selection, specifically the second-to-last selection.

Oweh’s defensive prowess is promising despite his unspectacular 6-foot-4 frame by NBA measures. An inconsistent 3-point shot likely places the Kentucky guard as a fringe prospect as Oweh tends to find buckets inside the arc.

More than likely, Oweh would sign a two-way contract with a franchise if he commits to the draft. Other Kentucky players have signed a two-way contact after going undrafted, most notably Oscar Tshiebwe in 2023.

Although officially undecided, Oweh must make a decision to enter the draft by May 28.

The NBA Draft is set for June 25 and 26.

As every true basketball fan knows, Kentucky has the most active NBA players of any college in the country, and that can get a little hard to keep track of when 14 former Wildcats were spread across the opening two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

To make it easier to follow, here’s a breakdown of each Cat in the NBA playoffs and how they performed when it mattered most.

First Round

Western Conference

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies

The Thunder feature arguably the best fully developed Kentucky product since Anthony Davis in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), and the likely MVP is doing MVP things so far in the playoffs.

On a Thunder team that won 20 more games than the Grizzlies this season, Gilgeous-Alexander had no problem leading Oklahoma City past Memphis, averaging 27.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists over the four-game sweep.

Don’t let SGA’s scoring dip fool you, as he was only needed for 23 minutes in a Game 1 blowout, where he still posted 15 points in a 51-point win.

Also hailing from Kentucky, Cason Wallace saw 20.5 minutes per game in the opening series, contributing 4.0 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds on 41.2% shooting.

No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors

In an upset loss to the Warriors, the Rockets didn’t lean much on the lone Kentucky alum between the two teams.

Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, failed to score in the 10 total minutes he saw during the series, but he made the most of his seven minutes in Game 5, notching one block and two steals on the defensive end.

No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves

This series featured three former Wildcats: Julius Randle and Rob Dillingham for Minnesota, and Jarred Vanderbilt for Los Angeles.

Dillingham, the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, did not appear in the series, but Randle was nothing short of pivotal in a 4–1 series win for a Wolves squad considered the underdog against LeBron, Luka and the Lake Show.

Randle averaged 22.6 points, four above his regular-season mark, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists, shooting 48.1% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range. In the opening-round loss for the Lakers, Vanderbilt averaged 1.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 12.2 minutes per game.

No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers

The only former Cat in this 4–5 matchup, Jamal Murray has built his reputation on big playoff moments for the Nuggets, and that continued in this series where he averaged 22.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists across seven games against the Clippers.

His standout moment came in Game 5, when he exploded for 43 points, five rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals, with just one turnover, while shooting 64.4% overall and 57.1% from deep.

That performance gave Denver a 3–2 lead before they closed the series in Game 7.

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat

Miami featured two former Kentucky standouts — Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro — but despite their best efforts, Cleveland rolled to four straight dominant wins over the Heat.

In his first season as an All-Star, Herro struggled to close the series. While he posted 33 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in Game 2, he managed just 17 total points in Games 3 and 4, shooting 6-23 from the field and 2-12 from beyond the arc.

Adebayo also had difficulty maintaining consistency, surpassing his season average in Games 1 and 3 but barely breaking double digits in Games 2 and 4.

Ultimately, Adebayo’s 17.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, combined with Herro’s 17.8 points, weren’t enough to prevent a disappointing sweep by the Cavs.

No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons

New York versus Detroit was an entertaining series between two franchises that have struggled to find playoff success this century, but Karl-Anthony Towns was determined to make an impact and lead the Knicks to the next round.

In a six-game series win for New York, Towns averaged 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds while flirting with 50-40-90 shooting splits, proving his efficiency on a star-studded Knicks roster.

Though his numbers were below his season averages of 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds, Towns has helped carry New York on its deepest playoff run since 2000.

No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks

Throughout the five-game series between the Pacers and Bucks, there was virtually no action from former Kentucky players. Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson, the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, had his season cut short by a torn Achilles after just five regular-season games.

Milwaukee’s Chris Livingston, meanwhile, logged five minutes of playoff action versus Indiana, missing his only shot attempt and recording one rebound.

Second Round

Western Conference

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets

In one of the best second-round matchups, Gilgeous-Alexander continued his hot streak as the Thunder battled Murray and the Nuggets through seven intense games.

Though still slightly below his season average, SGA averaged 29.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists, including a standout performance of 35 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals while shooting an eye-popping 63.2% from the field and 75% from three.

Maintaining his consistency, Wallace continued to impress in his limited role, averaging 6.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 21.4 minutes per game.

Murray, on the other hand, struggled to find rhythm in the series and managed just 13 points in 35 minutes during Denver’s 125–93 loss in Game 7.

No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors

After Steph Curry injured his hamstring in Game 1 of the Warriors’ conference semifinals matchup against the Timberwolves, Minnesota had a lot less to worry about.

Randle, already above his scoring average in the opening round, boosted his numbers by 8 points per game, averaging 25.2 points on improved shooting at 53.3% from the field.

Minnesota blew past Golden State, winning four straight after dropping Game 1 at home, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season.

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 New York Knicks

In what was arguably the biggest upset of the 2025 playoffs, Towns and the Knicks defeated the Celtics in six games, rallying from two 20-point deficits in the first two games to take a shocking 2–0 series lead in Boston.

Over the six games, Towns averaged 19.8 points and 12.7 rebounds, leading the team in rebounds and ranking second in scoring.

KAT and the Knicks will face Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals for a spot in the NBA Finals.

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers

As previously mentioned, Jackson, the only Kentucky alum on either side, was sidelined with a torn Achilles less than two months into the regular season.

The Pacers defeated the top-seeded Cavaliers in five games, stunning the Cavs on the road to take a commanding 2–0 series lead before closing it out in Cleveland with a 114–105 win.

Recap

Of the 14 former Kentucky Wildcats rostered by NBA playoff teams, eight advanced past the opening round and competed in the conference semifinals.

Six Cats now remain on the four teams left standing: Gilgeous-Alexander and Wallace with the Thunder, Randle and Dillingham with the Timberwolves, Towns with the Knicks and Jackson with the Pacers.

With this in mind, a former Wildcat is guaranteed to take home an NBA championship ring this June.