Mike Pratt’s jersey is going in the Rupp rafters. UK great to be honored this season.
At a public memorial service in August for his late friend and teammate, Kentucky basketball great Dan Issel didn’t mince words.
“In my opinion, Mike Pratt’s the best basketball player that ever played here that doesn’t have his number hanging in the rafters of Rupp Arena,” Issel told the crowd that had assembled in Memorial Coliseum. “And I think we all need to do something to change that. …
“We need to get Mike’s jersey up there in the rafters of Rupp Arena.”
In a few weeks, it’ll be there.
Pratt’s No. 22 jersey will join those of 38 other former Kentucky players in the Rupp Rafters on Feb. 4, when the Wildcats host Florida.
The most recent UK player to have his jersey retired to the Rupp rafters was Tony Delk, whose No. 00 was honored in 2015, nearly 20 years after his playing career concluded with a 24-point performance in the 1996 national championship game.
The announcement of Pratt’s honor was made during Coach John Calipari’s weekly radio show with UK play-by-play announcer Tom Leach on Monday night.
Leach called Kentucky games alongside Pratt for 21 seasons, starting with the 2001-02 campaign. Pratt was recently named 2022 Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. He was also a two-time, first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a player from 1967-70. He passed away in June at age 73 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
At the Memorial Coliseum service for Pratt a couple of months after his death, Issel noted that everyone would speak of what a great friend and teammate Pratt had been, mentioning the kind manner in which he treated others.
“He always had time for everybody,” Issel said. “But I think what kind of falls through the cracks is … was what a great basketball player Mike was.”
In the three seasons that Issel and Pratt played together at Kentucky under head coach Adolph Rupp, the Wildcats boasted a 71-12 overall record with a 48-6 mark in the SEC, winning the league all three years. In his final season, Pratt averaged 19.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, helping lead UK to a 26-2 record and the No. 1 spot in the final Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
When Pratt’s playing career was finished, he left Lexington in the top 10 in all-time points, rebounds and assists. More than 50 years later, he still ranks 26th, 22nd and 25th, respectively, on those three lists.
After a brief playing career in the ABA, Pratt became a college coach — including four seasons in charge of the Charlotte program — and later turned to broadcasting, eventually returning to Lexington to join the Kentucky basketball radio team.
He was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart announced on Monday’s radio show that Pratt’s jersey would be retired.
“His time as a player, his time as a coach, his time as an analyst on our network for decades, and his love for Kentucky — you encompass all of that, and you say, ‘What a tremendous man who loved Kentucky and Kentucky basketball and served this program and this commonwealth incredibly well,’” Barnhart said. “So, a great honor to be able to share with the family and share with the fan base the ability to enshrine Mike one step further, by raising his jersey in retirement.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 6:43 PM.
