Two former Wildcats finalists for important NBA Award

Former Wildcats will rack up awards in the NBA this season.

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky players in the NBA are having a really good year, and you can expect a bunch of former Wildcats to take home awards when the season ends.

Both Tyrese Maxey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have had an incredible season on the floor and are in the running for awards based on play, but now they are up for awards based on sportsmanship.

Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Maxey are their division's nominees for the NBA Sportsmanship Award.

While Coach John Calipari loves that both of these former Wildcats are having great seasons on the floor, it would bring him even more pride to know that they are great young men on and off the floor.

Gilgeous-Alexander averages 30.3 points per game, which is third in the NBA. He is also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists (17th best in NBA) per game this season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is currently third in betting odds for the NBA MVP Award behind Nikola Jokic and Luke Doncic.

Maxey is averaging 25.6 points per game on the year, which is the 12th best in the NBA. He is also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists (18th best in NBA) per game for the Philadelphia 76ers. He has really stepped up for the 76ers while star center Joel Embiid has been out with an injury. Maxey's incredible season on the floor has him leading in odds for the Most Improved Player Award.

Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Maxey have had a good season for their respective teams, and we will see both of them in the playoffs.