Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston Selected in 2023 NBA Draft

John Calipari has had two or more players selected in 16 consecutive NBA drafts dating back to 2008 with Memphis

Thursday night was a formality for former Kentucky point guard Cason Wallace. The Texas native knew he would hear his name called within the first handful of picks of the 2023 NBA draft, hence his invite to the green room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

The draft board held serve, and Wallace heard his name called at No. 10 overall, originally to the Dallas Mavericks, but the pick was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Wallace will now play alongside former UK guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the many former Cats that has made his presence felt in the NBA. 

In 32 games as a Wildcat, Wallace averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds. He shot 44.6 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from 3-point range. He fought through injuries, dealing with back and lower-leg issues over the course of the season while averaging 32.1 minutes a night.

Wallace had 18 games where he scored 10 or more points and nine games with more than five assists. He managed 27 points and nine assists against Florida A&M on Dec. 21, 24 points, five assists, three boards, three steals and two blocks against Arkansas on Feb. 7 and finished his career as a Wildcat with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in the NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas State on March 19.

While things were smooth sailing for Wallace, his McDonald's All-American teammate Chris Livingston had to wait much later into the night to hear his name called. 

Livingston was a hot topic surrounding the state of Kentucky basketball, as though many thought a second season in Lexington would serve the would-be-sophomore well, he and his agency Klutch Sports Group felt the time to move onto the pros was now.

Ahead of the draft, workouts were cancelled with multiple teams, as rumors and reports came out stating that there was a mystery team that was promising a selection of the Akron, Ohio product. 

The night continued, and it seemed as though Livingston was going to miraculously fall off the board and become an undrafted free agent. That was until the Milwaukee Bucks phoned in the 58th and final pick of the evening, selecting the forward. 

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported in the middle of the second round of the draft that Klutch's Rich Paul was calling teams, telling them not to draft Livingston so that he could end up at a specific spot. It's not confirmed that the Bucks were in fact that mystery team, but that's where Livingston is now headed. 

 Livingston played in all 34 contests as a freshman at UK, averaging 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He earned Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team honors. He managed seven double-figure scoring games, including four in a five-game stretch in February, excelling down the stretch of the season.

Below are draft notes, provided by UK Athletics:

• Kentucky has had 138 players drafted 140 times (Johnny Cox '58 and Roger Newman '60 both drafted in Jr. eligible draft, but returned for senior year and were drafted again)
• UK has had 60 players selected in the opening round (35 have come in the last 14 years) of the draft
• Kentucky has had 47 players selected in the draft over the last 14 years, 12 more than the next closest school (Duke)
• UK has had 15 players selected in the top 10, 23 in the top 15 and 35 in the first round of the draft in the last 14 years
• Calipari has had two or more players selected in 16 consecutive NBA drafts dating back to 2008 with Memphis
• UK has had at least one player taken in the opening round in each of the last 14 drafts under Calipari. That’s the longest such streak in the modern draft era (since 1966)
• In 31 seasons as a head coach, Calipari has coached 58 NBA Draft picks, including 41 first-round selections with 19 of those going in the top 10. He has had 47 selected in the last 14 years as UK's head coach, including 35 coming in the opening round
• Since the draft moved to two rounds in 1989, the Wildcats lead all schools with 46 first-round picks. Thirty-five of those selections have come in the last 14 years under Calipari
• A total of 47 of 78 players under Calipari at Kentucky have been drafted
• Of the 34 players at Kentucky who have declared for the NBA Draft after their freshman seasons, 30 have been first-round picks. All first-year players have played a game in the NBA