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.
The Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes is underway, with multiple teams involved in the No. 2 overall transfer player’s recruitment. It is believed that Kentucky and Louisville are the top candidates after his decision to pull out from the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27.
Along with the in-state rivals, Arizona and St. John’s are both very well still in the mix, but the Red Storm are slowly falling out of contention after landing Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou.
What an absolute BOMB from Shams.
For the wondering Kentucky fans, this basically has the Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes now between in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville.
I fully expect the Wildcats to have the edge in this recruitment. Would be very surprised if the… https://t.co/xyWATR3UwE— Kai McClelland (@fourwal1) May 28, 2026
On May 28, national reporter Matt Norlander cleared the air on CBS Sports’ Eye On College Basketball podcast, stating that he believes Kentucky will land Momcilovic by the end of the weekend or Monday.
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“My prediction right now is that Milan Momcilovic will go to Kentucky,” Norlander said. “My understanding is that decision is going to come in the next one, two, three days, four days max.”
He would go on to talk about the other top programs involved, stating why he thinks they will be working in an uphill battle in this bidding war.
“My forecast is that it’s Kentucky, but you know, we’ll see if Louisville can get in there,” he continued. “Arizona I don’t think has the money to contend, like I think Kentucky and Louisville just have more money to play with.”
For the worried members of the Big Blue Nation, this is certainly good news to be put out by one of the most trusted college basketball reporters at the national level.
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Going by this report and Adam Zagoria’s from NYT Sports, it shouldn’t be long until a commitment decision for Momcilovic is announced publicly.
Per @AdamZagoria, Milan Momcilovic will announce where he will play his senior year of college basketball by the end of this weekend.— Kai McClelland (@fourwal1) May 28, 2026
Milan Momcilovic has officially removed his named from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season.
Kentucky leads in his recruitment, followed closely by St. John’s, Louisville and Arizona. A backdoor to Iowa State is also still open.
The No. 2 ranked transfer would be a huge addition to Kentucky’s 2026-27 roster if he committed, averaging 16.9 points per game on 50.6/48.7/87.8 shooting splits last year. Funny enough, in the current world of college athletics that we live in, Momcilovic was responsible for eliminating the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament, dropping 20 points in the Round of 32.
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He would go on to lose to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 with Iowa State, so at least we know that there’s some inner-hatred for a long-standing rival if he ends up a Wildcat.
He made the most three-point shots in Division I basketball and is a versatile 6-foot-8 wing, which would fit perfectly into Mark Pope’s offensive system. He completed workouts with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves during the draft process.
Now, the bidding war for the top dog begins, with some of the most prestigious programs in the sport placing their bets on the star forward.
One of the biggest pieces of the 2026-27 roster has officially made a decision. Malachi Moreno, the Georgetown, Kentucky native, will forgo the 2026 NBA Draft and return to the Wildcats for his sophomore season!
As time went on, Moreno proved through personal workouts and in-gym drills that he could play the game of basketball at the next level, eventually drawing interest from teams slated with the first 20 picks of the draft. The 7-foot big had eyes on him from teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics.
Ultimately, the former state champion and his camp felt that the deal offered from Mark Pope and his staff was just too sweet, with the idea of developing even further and potentially becoming a lottery pick in next year’s draft making logical sense for both sides.
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In his freshman season, Moreno averaged 7.8 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 1.5 blocks per game, all on 58.2% shooting. As many assume, this was just a trial for what he can become on the court.
Videos circulated on social media of Moreno hitting jump shots from deep range, visibly looking stronger and more confident in his decision making. Although he decided to not participate in the NBA Combine, a strong indicator for his return to college, it would’ve certainly been interesting to see what type of statline he could’ve produced against the league’s future stars.
Nonetheless, Moreno is back in the blue and white for one more go at No. 9 with Pope and his new teammates. This time, he won’t be predicted as the third best center on team, or plagued with the freshman tendencies – he’ll be ready to start at the five from the moment he arrives in Lexington.