It’s no secret that this Kentucky team loved their shoes, and we seen just how superstitious they were it came to them.
Who wouldn’t be, if you played at Kentucky and had access to the newest and most exclusive shoes on the market?
Let’s take a look at some of the best shoes of the season.
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FYI: Most of the custom shoes are done by Billy Hobbs of True Blue Customs, check his work out here.
Tyler Herro Custom Nike Off-White Hyperdunk
The Nike Off-White Hyperdunk is one of the most limited and popular pairs of basketball shoes in several years. Tyler Herro put his “Kentucky/Boy Wonder” spin on it to make it my Kentucky Basketball “Sneaker of the Year”.
Johnny David’s Custom Senior Day Nike Kobe Proto 1
On senior day, Johnny David paid homage to his hometown of Pittsburgh with a custom pair of Kobe Proto 1’s that feature the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins logos.
Tyler Herro had these shoes custom made for his high school senior night but brought them out again for Big Blue Madness.
Ashton Hagans’ Custom Nike Kobe AD Exodus L’s Down vs UofL
We remember Ashton Hagans throwing the L’s down sign as the clock ticked down in the KFC Yum Center, but he had even better way to troll the Cards. Hagans was prepared to wear this pair of custom Kobe AD’s that featured an “L’s down” on the tongue, said “No Mercy” on the side, and referenced all of Kentucky’s national championship years. However, the officials would not allow Hagans to wear the shoes beyond warmups.
Breast Cancer Awareness
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Pink shoes were seen just about every game this season. Ashton Hagans wore the “Aunt Pearl” KD 11 for many games. Nick Richards wore a Kobe AD custom with “mom is a survivor”. PJ Washington wore a pair of Nike Zoom Rev II TB Promo Kay Yows, in honor of his grandmother, Susie Tucker, who was battling breast cancer earlier in the season.
Keldon Johnson Custom Jordan Why Not Zero.1 “Purge”
Keldon Johnson’s Big Blue Madness entrance included the Purge siren and a Purge mask, and to go along with the Purge them Keldon had these custom shoes made.
Coach Cal 60th Birthday Custom Nike Air Monarch “Dunkin Donuts”
Cal celebrated his 60th birthday back in February and what better way to celebrate than with a custom pair of shoes? True Blue Customs created a custom “Dunkin Donuts” version of the Air Monarch ( aka old dad shoes). The shoe also features Cal’s Dunkin Donuts order with the “1 cream, 1 sugar” on the back of each shoe.
Mrs. Cal Roshe Run
Mrs. Calipari was not forgotten as she was gifted a custom pair to represent Brad Calipari and the Calipari name. ?
“Mismatched” Kyrie 4’s
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I lost count of how many times I was asked, “why are they wearing two different shoes?” This season. The eye-catching shoes are sold in this “mismatched” colorway and they were definitely an early season favorite for the team.
Self-Lacing Nike Adapt
Yes, Nike brought the “Back To the Future” auto-lacing technology to basketball. While they are certainly innovative, the team wasn’t a big fan of them as they only for one half of basketball due to a “loose” feeling.
Nike Kyrie 4
True Blue Customs teamed up with Nike ID and UK Athletics to create these custom Kyrie 4’s for the team.
PJ Washington Family Customs
One thing we’ve learned about PJ Washington is that his family plays a big part in his life. PJ had a custom pair of Kyrie 4’s and KD 10’s made to represent his family on the court.
PJ Washington’s Custom Air Jordan 11
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The Air Jordan 11 is one of the most popular Air Jordan models ever made. You gotta love the Big Blue twist on this custom model made for PJ Washington, that features a #25 on the back.
Aka the shoe Zion Williamson blew out, this shoe was a Nike player edition exclusive for the Kentucky Wildcats. The shoe was a favorite for Tyler Herro and PJ Washington.
Immanuel Quickley Custom Nike Kyrie 2
Immanuel Quickley rocked these custom Kyrie 2’s at Big Blue Madness. The shoes feature a “U” on the left shoe and a “K” on the right shoe.
Ashton Hagans Air Jordan 18 “Sport Royal”
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The Air Jordan 18 is the final shoe that Michael Jordan wore in his career. While it’s not one of the popular Air Jordan models, Ahston Hagans brought them out for Big Blue Madness.
Ashton Hagans Air Jordan 10 “Orlando”
If you haven’t been able to tell by now, Ashton Hagans is this years Sneaker MVP, and he brought out the Air Jordan 10 in an away game against Georgia.
Nike Kobe AD
This shoe was a favorite for nearly the entire team. This team exclusive version of the Nike Kobe AD featured Kentucky blue and white and the Kentucky logo on the back.
Ashton Hagans KD 4 “Battle Tested”
Is there any doubt about who is the sneaker MVP of this team? Hands down its Ashton Hagans who pulled out a rerealease of the KD 4 from last summer.
Zan Payne Air Jordan 4 Doernbecher aka “Superman”
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Everyone has talked about Brad Calipari’s off the court outfits, but what about Kenny Payne’s son, Zan? Zan sat out all season with a redshirt freshman, but in the UofL game he brought out some heat. The Doernbecher Air Jordan series was, originally released in 2011, is very limited and were designed by Hospital cancer patients. This particular pair was designed by Isaiah Scott a then, 11-year old nicknamed “Superman”.
Nike Lebron 16
THE signature Nike line, the LeBron 16. The LeBron 16 came out back in September and has really only been used by Reid Travis this season, who most likely enjoys the shoe due to his 6-8 240, LeBron like physique.
Following another flurry of transfer portal additions in his second year at the helm, it appears that Mark Pope and staff are satisfied with their sophomore haul. The portal in Lexington may be officially closed for the 2025-26′ season.
Right after Kentucky received the surprising commitment of Denzel Aberdeen, Matt Norlander, an analyst for CBS Sports, posted the following on X (Twitter):
“Barring any portal defections, Kentucky has ended its pursuits of all other portal targets, sources told CBS Sports. Getting Aberdeen today [April 21] meant they’ve moved off Andrej Stojakovic, Rylan Griffen, etc. Otega Oweh going through pre-draft process-but I expect him back in Lex”.
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With the addition of Aberdeen, the Wildcats’ roster ballooned to near-max capacity for next season. Seeing two of the team’s walk-on players, Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, enter the transfer portal seemed to all but confirm this suspicion, too.
Losing One of Our Own
That is, until last night. With less than two hours remaining for players to do so, Travis Perry shocked much of the Big Blue Nation by throwing his name into the hat. This came just weeks after a string of comments from the Kentucky-native point guard seemed to confirm his return for a sophomore season.
Though all the same, given Kentucky’s bulk of back-court additions this offseason, his departure makes sense for the sake of playing time alone. The Lyon King will be sorely missed.
So while the Kentucky staff may still be very much content with their current roster, with hundreds of players remaining in the portal and an unexpected spot on the roster coming open, another grab is far from out of the question.
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Who Coach Pope and company would go after is entirely unclear, as that potential player would likely have to accept a minimized role off the bench for a stretch of his time in Lexington. If anything, the logical replacement would be a direct fill-in at the PG2/PG3 spot in Perry’s absence.
Either way, the ‘Cats are set to come into next season as one of the most exciting teams in college basketball with a ceiling far out of view. Mark Pope continues to prove his prowess in the transfer market, too, easing the worries of Wildcats fans and closing the door on many supposed “insiders” who’ve spent the last month suggesting otherwise.
The transfer portal has been kind to Kentucky in the Mark Pope era. Last season, the staff was able to build a Sweet Sixteen roster almost exclusively from the portal, and this offseason have put together a top-five portal class.
While the portal giveth, it also taketh. Just hours before the deadline to enter, Kentucky native and fan favorite Travis Perry has entered the transfer portal, per multiple reports.
Coming to Kentucky as the state’s all-time high-school scoring record holder, fans were excited to see how his career would unfold in Lexington.
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Not expecting to play much freshman, he was called upon due to injuries and played some key minutes for the Wildcats into the postseason. He averaged 2.7 PPG and .6 APG on 32% shooting from three.
Looking at the depth chart, it was difficult to see where Perry would get much playing time next season, leading to his decision to enter the portal.
Perry has yet to release an official statement, but all the best to him in his future.
Another day, another “boom.” Denzel Aberdeen has officially committed to Kentucky for the 2025-26’ season.
A soon-to-be senior guard fresh off his championship win with Florida, Aberdeen spent his first three years of eligibility in Gainesville. Now, following an apparent conflict in the Gators’ rotation, he’s swapped teams in the southeast.
At 6 ‘5”, 190, Aberdeen spent much of this past season beating defenders off the dribble and making them pay at the rim. His speed and size made him a nightmare off the bench for opposing teams, and for the short stretch of play that he started during the year, Florida didn’t miss a beat.
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In 19 minutes, Aberdeen averaged 8 points, two rebounds and one assist per game. His consistent contribution to the Gators’ title run made him one of the most coveted transfers in the cycle this season, and given his big blue commitment just days after entering the portal, Mark Pope clearly wasted no time in Kentucky’s pursuit.
Aberdeen slots in as yet another addition to what was already one of the strongest portal classes going into next season. His SEC experience and combo-guard intangibles make Aberdeen one of the most exciting portal players to come through Lexington in a long while, reinforcing Kentucky’s back court to what may be the final degree.
Whether or not Mark Pope is officially done for next season, nobody is sure, but this commitment only further cements the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Just like the fanbase behind him, Coach Pope seems to never sleep.