Shaedon Sharpe makes it official. He’s leaving Kentucky for the NBA Draft.
Finally confirming what has now been expected for months, star basketball recruit Shaedon Sharpe announced Tuesday night that he will leave Kentucky without ever playing a game for the Wildcats.
Sharpe, who turned 19 years old Tuesday, originally declared for the NBA Draft on April 21 while leaving open the option to return to college and suit up for UK next season. Even then, however, it was widely expected in basketball circles that he would ultimately keep his name in the 2022 draft, where he’s been projected as a possible top-five overall pick despite never playing in college.
With the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline set for Wednesday, Sharpe made his decision official.
“First and foremost, through God’s blessings, it has been a privilege to attend the University of Kentucky,” he tweeted. “Thank you #BBN for your support during my time with @kentuckymbb - With the positive feedback I’ve received I will be remaining in the NBA Draft.”
Earlier in the month, Sharpe worked out for scouts and other NBA decision-makers during the annual events surrounding the league’s Combine, though — like other highly touted draft prospects — he left town before taking part in actual games or talking to the large media contingent gathered at the showcase.
Sharpe also didn’t do any interviews with reporters outside of UK’s official channels during the few months he was in Lexington this past season.
In a brief sitdown interview with NBA insider Shams Charania during Combine week, Sharpe implied that he’d made up his mind on staying in the 2022 draft. When Charania asked the teenager what he would need to see to make the decision to stay in, Sharpe replied as if it was already official, even though no such announcement had been made.
“Just getting the info back from teams that I want to hear,” he said. “I feel like that really convinced me — and pushed me — to stay in the draft and declare.”
Immediately following the NBA Draft lottery draw earlier that week, nearly every major national mock draft had Sharpe going either No. 5 overall to the Detroit Pistons or No. 6 to the Indiana Pacers, with the Sports Illustrated projection sending him to the Sacramento Kings at No. 4.
ESPN updated its NBA mock draft earlier Tuesday, with Sharpe placed in the No. 7 spot to the Portland Trail Blazers.
“There was a reason Sharpe was the No. 1-ranked player in his high school class, but his lack of experience and how little he has been evaluated might make it difficult for a team picking higher than this to roll the dice on him,” wrote ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony.
The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23 in Brooklyn.
Never played for Kentucky
Sharpe leaving Lexington so soon hasn’t always been the plan. Publicly, at least.
Though the player himself hasn’t said much at all about his basketball journey or future plans, his mentor and former AAU coach, Dwayne Washington, has been interviewed regularly since Sharpe first earned a Kentucky scholarship offer nearly 18 months ago.
Washington spoke to the Herald-Leader several times over the past year and a half, commenting on the different stages of Sharpe’s recruitment and early enrollment at Kentucky. Following the decision to leave high school early and come to UK in January — and amid warnings from some in recruiting circles that Sharpe could very well bolt without ever playing for the Cats — Washington attempted to shut down any talk of entering this year’s NBA Draft.
“He came early so he can be a leader for next year’s team. … We came for development,” Washington said in late January, following an ESPN report that Sharpe would likely be eligible for the 2022 draft.
Washington did leave the door open for a departure at the end of the season if Sharpe played (and played well) down the stretch. But the 6-foot-6 shooting guard never saw the court for the Cats, instead participating with the team only as a five-star practice player.
Amid all the chatter, John Calipari publicly said that he fully expected Sharpe to return to Kentucky for the 2022-23 season, when he was supposed to be the star backcourt player on a roster with legitimate national title possibilities.
The UK coach eventually backed off that certainty, and by the time Sharpe put his name in the NBA Draft pool in late April, even those around the program were resigned to his likely exit, though the door remained open for a return.
“Shaedon has been a great teammate and has handled everything that comes with being a college student-athlete the way he should,” Calipari said in an April 21 statement. “Since he arrived on our campus, he’s been an integral part of our program and he’s already registered for summer and fall classes, but we support this decision to explore every option and make the best decision for his future based on all of the information he can receive.”
With Sharpe now officially gone, it leaves the Wildcats with an expected 10 scholarship players for the 2022-23 season — a roster that will be led by reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe.
The UK backcourt will consist of returning point guard Sahvir Wheeler, five-star combo guard recruit Cason Wallace, transfer shooting guards CJ Fredrick, who sat out last season with an injury, and Antonio Reeves, and under-the-radar guard recruit Adou Thiero. At the wing spots will be McDonald’s All-American Chris Livingston and Jacob Toppin, who announced his return to Kentucky earlier Tuesday. Tshiebwe will man the post alongside returning power forwards Daimion Collins and Lance Ware.
It’s still possible that Kentucky could make a late addition to the 2022-23 roster, but, as is, it’s a group projected in the preseason top five by most of the national college basketball outlets.
ESPN’s Bracketology currently has Kentucky as the No. 1 overall seed for the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 9:52 PM.
