Speculation abound over the status of Aaron Bradshaw for the upcoming Kentucky basketball season, John Calipari finally addressed the star recruit’s situation in a press conference Friday afternoon. Calipari confirmed that Bradshaw — a 7-footer and one of the top prospects in the 2023 class — had an operation on his injured foot and would not be available to play for the time being, though he did not put a firm timetable on his return to the court. The UK coach said that Bradshaw had been “one of the stars” of the team’s recent basketball camp circuit not long after arriving in Lexington.
“Aaron Bradshaw was unbelievable in the camps in our community. The kids loved him. The parents loved him,” Calipari said. According to Calipari, the New Jersey native was weighing whether or not to have a procedure on his foot or wait things out in hopes of the injury healing on its own. He ultimately chose to have the operation. “Had a foot injury. Had a choice to make,” Calipari said. “Do you let it heal? Or do you do an operation. He waited for a minute to say, ‘Let me see this.’ But at the end of the day, he said, ‘I want an operation because I want to play.’” Calipari said Bradshaw would be back on campus this weekend, wearing a protective boot. The comments Friday came during Calipari’s first press conference since UK lost to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19. Bradshaw’s playing status for Kentucky has been shrouded in mystery for months, with persistent rumblings throughout recruiting circles that he might not arrive in Lexington at all, and then, when he was one of the first UK freshmen to make it to campus in early June, the focus shifted to his health. The 19-year-old confirmed in an Instagram Live post last week that he was indeed sidelined with an injury suffered at the McDonald’s All-American Game in late March and would not be able to play in the Wildcats’ upcoming trip to Canada for the GLOBL JAM, a four-game exhibition tournament that begins July 12 in Toronto.
Bradshaw added in that IG Live post that he would be “cleared soon,” but there has been no official word from UK on the extent of his injury or a timeframe for his return to the court. Bradshaw’s IG Live proclamation came about a week after NBA reporter Shams Charania tweeted, citing unnamed sources, that the Kentucky player had suffered a fracture in his foot and could miss the start of the 2023-24 season, a rumor that had been prevalent (but unconfirmed) throughout college basketball. Later that day, Bradshaw participated in UK’s Father-Son Camp at the Joe Craft Center, taking part in basketball activities without wearing any kind of protection on either foot. A high-upside but still-developing big man, Bradshaw clearly could have benefited, if healthy, from participating in the team’s Toronto trip, which will pit the Cats against college-aged players from Africa, Canada and Germany. Calipari acknowledged as much Friday.
“It’s unfortunate for him. But we’ve had guys that couldn’t be there in the summer and came back and played great,” he said. “All I can tell you is every time he grabs me, he says, ‘I love you, Coach.’ Like, this kid is so excited about being here and wants to help us win. “These guys know — even in practice — every practice, the drills are: you win or you lose. Everything we do is with (a) score — you win or you lose. You’re teaching them (that) winning matters. With him, winning matters. ‘I want to come here and I want us to win.’ … For him, it would have been better if he played. But he’ll be fine.” A follow-up question over whether Calipari had any concern that Bradshaw’s recovery might linger into the regular season did not yield a definitive answer.
“Not from what the doctors are telling me,” Calipari said when asked whether he thought Bradshaw might miss real games, before adding a qualifier. “But we will not rush him back.” There has also been persistent talk in recruiting circles that even if Bradshaw did ultimately make it to UK’s campus, he and his circle of advisers might decide to sit out the 2023-24 season completely to protect his draft stock as a possible lottery pick. Calipari, presumably aware of that speculation, added that once Bradshaw decided to go through with the foot surgery, the procedure was done within a couple of days. “So he wants to play,” the UK coach declared.
247Sports ranked Bradshaw as the No. 5 overall player in its final 2023 rankings, which also featured UK teammates Justin Edwards (No. 3) and DJ Wagner (No. 6) in the top 10, with the Wildcats’ overall incoming group rated as the best recruiting class in the country. Bradshaw is also included in some early projections as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“Aaron Bradshaw was unbelievable in the camps in our community. The kids loved him. The parents loved him,” Calipari said. According to Calipari, the New Jersey native was weighing whether or not to have a procedure on his foot or wait things out in hopes of the injury healing on its own. He ultimately chose to have the operation. “Had a foot injury. Had a choice to make,” Calipari said. “Do you let it heal? Or do you do an operation. He waited for a minute to say, ‘Let me see this.’ But at the end of the day, he said, ‘I want an operation because I want to play.’” Calipari said Bradshaw would be back on campus this weekend, wearing a protective boot. The comments Friday came during Calipari’s first press conference since UK lost to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19. Bradshaw’s playing status for Kentucky has been shrouded in mystery for months, with persistent rumblings throughout recruiting circles that he might not arrive in Lexington at all, and then, when he was one of the first UK freshmen to make it to campus in early June, the focus shifted to his health. The 19-year-old confirmed in an Instagram Live post last week that he was indeed sidelined with an injury suffered at the McDonald’s All-American Game in late March and would not be able to play in the Wildcats’ upcoming trip to Canada for the GLOBL JAM, a four-game exhibition tournament that begins July 12 in Toronto.
Bradshaw added in that IG Live post that he would be “cleared soon,” but there has been no official word from UK on the extent of his injury or a timeframe for his return to the court. Bradshaw’s IG Live proclamation came about a week after NBA reporter Shams Charania tweeted, citing unnamed sources, that the Kentucky player had suffered a fracture in his foot and could miss the start of the 2023-24 season, a rumor that had been prevalent (but unconfirmed) throughout college basketball. Later that day, Bradshaw participated in UK’s Father-Son Camp at the Joe Craft Center, taking part in basketball activities without wearing any kind of protection on either foot. A high-upside but still-developing big man, Bradshaw clearly could have benefited, if healthy, from participating in the team’s Toronto trip, which will pit the Cats against college-aged players from Africa, Canada and Germany. Calipari acknowledged as much Friday.
“It’s unfortunate for him. But we’ve had guys that couldn’t be there in the summer and came back and played great,” he said. “All I can tell you is every time he grabs me, he says, ‘I love you, Coach.’ Like, this kid is so excited about being here and wants to help us win. “These guys know — even in practice — every practice, the drills are: you win or you lose. Everything we do is with (a) score — you win or you lose. You’re teaching them (that) winning matters. With him, winning matters. ‘I want to come here and I want us to win.’ … For him, it would have been better if he played. But he’ll be fine.” A follow-up question over whether Calipari had any concern that Bradshaw’s recovery might linger into the regular season did not yield a definitive answer.
“Not from what the doctors are telling me,” Calipari said when asked whether he thought Bradshaw might miss real games, before adding a qualifier. “But we will not rush him back.” There has also been persistent talk in recruiting circles that even if Bradshaw did ultimately make it to UK’s campus, he and his circle of advisers might decide to sit out the 2023-24 season completely to protect his draft stock as a possible lottery pick. Calipari, presumably aware of that speculation, added that once Bradshaw decided to go through with the foot surgery, the procedure was done within a couple of days. “So he wants to play,” the UK coach declared.
247Sports ranked Bradshaw as the No. 5 overall player in its final 2023 rankings, which also featured UK teammates Justin Edwards (No. 3) and DJ Wagner (No. 6) in the top 10, with the Wildcats’ overall incoming group rated as the best recruiting class in the country. Bradshaw is also included in some early projections as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
