The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is one of the most accomplished programs in college sports history. They’ve won eight national championships and have proven to be able to compete for titles year after year. In order to facilitate that kind of success, a team has to have a lot of great players.
Kentucky has had 18 SEC Player of the Year winners, more than any other team in the conference. Two players have also won National Player of the Year. Trying to pick a list of the greatest Wildcats is always going to be subjective, and everybody will have different opinions on the rankings, but here’s our list of the most decorated Kentucky players.
Kentucky Basketball’s 5 Most Decorated Players
C/PF Anthony Davis (2011-12)
Anthony Davis led Kentucky to its eighth national championship in his sole season with the Wildcats. He won all six major National Player of the Year awards in 2012, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player in the 2012 championship run, and the NCAA Defensive Player of the Year.
He earned an SEC All-Defensive Team selection, and he also set an NCAA record for blocks by a freshman (186). Davis also led the nation in blocks. (14.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.7 BPG).
Davis has since gone on to win multiple Olympic gold medals and one NBA title. He was named to the 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and has finished in the top five of Defensive Player of the Year voting four times. He’s made 10 All-Star teams across his ongoing 13-year career, playing for both the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers.
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2017-18)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, commonly known as “SGA,” is the first-ever Wildcat to win an NBA MVP. After finishing as runner-up last year, the 6’6″ guard led the NBA in scoring this season, averaging 32.7 points per game in the regular season, adding 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander started 24 of the 37 games he appeared in during his only season at Kentucky, averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. The Canadian was drafted 11th by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers. Since then, he has achieved three NBA All-Star selections.
C/PF Dan Issel (1967-70)
Dan Issel, Kentucky’s reigning all-time leading scorer, played for Kentucky from 1967 to 1970. In college, he was a three-time All-American. He was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Tournament team in 1970, and he’s a member of the NCAA’s 50th Anniversary team.
Professionally, Issel won the 1975 title with the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA, a basketball league eventually absorbed by the NBA. He was also an NBA All-Star in 1977 and a six-time All-Star with the ABA and had his number “44” retired by the Denver Nuggets.
SG/SF Jack Givens (1974-78)
Jack Givens led the Wildcats to their fifth national championship in 1978, and he was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. In the same year, he also earned first-team All-American honors.
Despite being drafted 16th overall in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, he only played two seasons before going overseas to play in Japan, Italy, and Belgium. Back in the U.S., he established himself as a color analyst for Kentucky.
SF Jamal Mashburn (1990-93)
Known as “Monster Mash”, Mashburn was the bridge between the Sutton era and Rick Pitino’s renaissance. In the 1992-93 season, Jamal Mashburn averaged 21 points and 8.4 boards, guiding Kentucky to the Final Four and re-establishing the program’s dominance.
The 6’8 forward was a first-team All-American in 1993, and he was a part of the “Unforgettables” team that reached the Final Four in 1993. His versatility was years ahead of its time, and his leadership was just as strong.
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