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Which 5 ex UK players that you saw play at UK, in your opinion has had the best professional careers?

Dan issel
Kevin grevey
Rajon rondo
Chuck Hayes
Jamal maglore
 
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Sausage, brown, red eye... I took am a fan of the gravy!
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Maybe Dan Issel and Rondo, but the rest are highly questionable.
If, as the title says, you are looking for those with the best pro career, you have to not look at just scoring - you look at what that player brought to the team. Rondo may not have been a scoring machine, but you just look at the results of the teams he was on and his role was defense and running the team. He could get 20 assists on any given night if he was just trying to rack up assists. His passing was great.
 
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My 5 would be, along with their highest scoring season as a pro would be

Dan Issel - 30.6
Anthony Davis - 28.1
DeMarcus Cousins - 27.8
Devin Booker - 27.8
SGA - 32.7
Hard to disagree with any of those- not sure about AD but Booker and SGA still have a lot to give in the NBA
 
Prince wasn’t what you’d call a great player in the NBA. However, he was the main reason that 2004 Pistons team won the championship that year. He limited Kobe and Reggie Miller in the playoffs. Catalyst to that championship IMO. He also limited AI one playoff year, IIRC. Would have to look that up.
Prince had a very good NBA career. I think he made 1 all star team. I would need to check that.

Several all defense teams though.

And won a title.
 
SGA is just getting started and if the thunder win this years title he will be on top. The fact he was the mvp elevates him immediately.

But I have to say the best pro career? That goes to the potentially all time greatest coach/executive and that man is pat Riley. I asked about our MJ the other day and after thinking it through Riley is our MJ level pro but as a coach.
 
Guessing by your comment you missed a lot of the best Kentucky basketball…Coach Rupp’s teams, Coach Hall’s teams were the foundation…witnessing UK basketball at Memorial Coliseum in its 11,500 configuration was arguably the best college basketball venue ever.
 
I’ll do just the players that I say personally on campus playing around.

Delk
Kemp
Chapman
Antoine Walker
Mashburn
 
I’m not going with stats or money as criteria but…

Rondo - title for Boston and LA pretty incredible run he had. Not sure anyone saw him having the career he did. Hearing players talk about rondo now on various podcasts is pretty cool. They all really respect him.

Tayshaun - helped Detroit win a title on a team that’s one of the great sports stories in modern times. Bunch of misfit players, no huge stars, took down giants. Also Tayshuan was a unique player about a decade before his build and skill really took off in the league and game in general. He was the 3rd-4th option and today would be #1 and franchise player.

Chuck Hayes - Incredible he had a career. Didn’t really have a position. Undersized, not long, not as athletic, quick/fast, etc…but managed to have a real career. Kind of opposite of Tayshaun in that the Chuck Hayes archetype player went extinct and every team has or wants multiple Tayshauns.
 
I’m not going with stats or money as criteria but…

Rondo - title for Boston and LA pretty incredible run he had. Not sure anyone saw him having the career he did. Hearing players talk about rondo now on various podcasts is pretty cool. They all really respect him.

Tayshaun - helped Detroit win a title on a team that’s one of the great sports stories in modern times. Bunch of misfit players, no huge stars, took down giants. Also Tayshuan was a unique player about a decade before his build and skill really took off in the league and game in general. He was the 3rd-4th option and today would be #1 and franchise player.

Chuck Hayes - Incredible he had a career. Didn’t really have a position. Undersized, not long, not as athletic, quick/fast, etc…but managed to have a real career. Kind of opposite of Tayshaun in that the Chuck Hayes archetype player went extinct and every team has or wants multiple Tayshauns.
Issel
Walker
SGA
Tay
Mashburn
 
The two guys next to me in my picture.
AD
The last two spots get tough....Rondo? Mash? Prince?

SGA looks like a lock. Fingers crossed.
 
My 5 would be, along with their highest scoring season as a pro would be

Dan Issel - 30.6
Anthony Davis - 28.1
DeMarcus Cousins - 27.8
Devin Booker - 27.8
SGA - 32.7
I’m just curious why Cousins made the list? He’s one of my favorite players of the Cal era, but if I’m being honest, I think most people would say that injuries made his professional career somewhat of a disappointment….
 
SGA
Davis
Wall
Mashburn
Fifth guy harder to pick

It’s silly to think about just an all-UK team current NBA roster while we’re at it.

KAT
Davis
SGA
Booker
Fox/Maxey (take pick)

Bench:

Bam
Randle
Herro
Monk
Murray

Richards
Washington
Johnson
Wallace
Quickley

I mean good grief
 
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All you who are not placing Issel on your list are probably not old enough to have ever seen him play. But, he is the GOAT as far as UK/ABA/NBA players go.

Along with Issel, I would name Dampier, Wall, Rondo and Prince.

Of course, if they play a few more years, SGA, KAT, Booker and Randle will most certainly join my list.
 
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Almost completely off topic.

I saw Kenny Walker do some dunks during halftime of a senior barnstorming game. Somehow threw it off the back wall of the gym and power it down.

I told everyone he was going to win the slam dunk competition that weekend he was entered.

Him and Wall are 1, 2 in pro career for that.
 
Going off all-time UK players, I think you would be hard pressed to disagree with this list:
-Cliff Hagan
-Dan Issel
-Louie Dampier
-Anthony Davis
-Rajon Rondo

***Outside of Anthony Davis, SGA will end up kicking one of those guys off the top 5.
 
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