2024 NBA draft updates: UK basketball’s Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham both taken in lottery

For the first time, the NBA draft is taking place over two days with the first round on tap for 8 p.m. Wednesday and the second round following at 4 p.m. Thursday. ABC and ESPN has coverage of Day 1 with ESPN the lone option for Day 2.

Former in-state Kentucky star Reed Sheppard was taken No. 3 overall by the Houston Rockets. Fellow one-and-done backcourt phenom Rob Dillingham was selected No. 8 overall by the San Antonio Spurs, but Dillingham is being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Former UK Wildcats Justin Edwards, Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell will have to wait until Thursday to find out if they’re chosen by one of 30 NBA squads in this year’s draft.

We’ll update you here with the latest developments from a UK basketball perspective.

And also, follow along here for updates from our dedicated Twitter/X list.

How much money do NBA draft first round picks make?

For those curious, here’s a look at what every first-round pick from the 2024 NBA draft will make during their rookie seasons.

Top pick Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta) leads the way with a figure that’s North of $10 million.

Four former SEC players taken in 2024 NBA draft first round

The first round of the 2024 NBA draft has come and gone, with two former Kentucky Wildcats and four former SEC basketball players off the board.

Reed Sheppard (UK), Rob Dillingham (UK), Devin Carter (South Carolina and Providence) and Dalton Knecht (junior college, North Colorado and Tennessee) were the four players with SEC ties who went in the first 30 selections of this year’s draft.

Sheppard — who was selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Rockets — was both the first player with SEC connections taken in the draft and the first collegiate player taken in the 2024 draft.

Both of the first two selections in this year’s draft — Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr — are from France and played internationally.

What are NBA draft experts saying about Sheppard, Dillingham additions?

Kentucky basketball added a pair of first-round selections to its NBA draft resume on Wednesday night, with Reed Sheppard (No. 3 overall) and Rob Dillingham (No. 8 overall) both going off the board in the lottery.

But what are experts saying about Sheppard’s selection by Houston and Dillingham’s trade to Minnesota?

Here’s how Houston’s addition of Sheppard is being graded by NBA draft experts, and here’s what those same experts are saying about Dillingham being traded to the Timberwolves (after originally being drafted by San Antonio).

This was the seventh time in Kentucky history that two former Wildcats were both selected within the first 10 picks of an NBA draft: It also occurred in 1949, 1984, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.

Sheppard family featured on ESPN’s NBA draft broadcast

After Reed Sheppard was selected No. 3 overall in the 2024 NBA draft (the first collegiate player to be taken), the whole Sheppard family was featured on ESPN’s draft night broadcast.

Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed Sheppard joined their son, Reed, as they talked about the draft night experience and what Reed Sheppard will bring to the Houston Rockets.

Rob Dillingham taken No. 8 overall by San Antonio, traded to Minnesota

Kentucky basketball now has a second lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but this one won’t be staying with the team that drafted him.

The San Antonio Spurs selected Rob Dillingham with the No. 8 overall pick in Wednesday night’s first round, but Dillingham will be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that reached the Western Conference finals last season before losing in five games to the Dallas Mavericks.

Dillingham will join another dynamic scoring presence who went one-and-done at an SEC school (Anthony Edwards at Georgia) in Minnesota.

Reed Sheppard is rare Kentucky high schooler taken in NBA draft first round

By being selected third overall in the 2024 NBA draft, Reed Sheppard has added his name to a distinct group of commonwealth basketball stars.

Sheppard is now one of only a handful of men to have played basketball at a Kentucky high school before going on to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Before his breakout freshman season at UK, Sheppard was a high school star at North Laurel High School in London.

Other names on this esteemed list include Wes Unseld (Seneca), Darrell Griffith (Male), Rex Chapman (Apollo), Allan Houston (Ballard) and Rajon Rondo (Eastern).

Reed Sheppard selected No. 3 overall by Houston Rockets

In-state Kentucky basketball star Reed Sheppard is off the board.

The Houston Rockets have selected Sheppard with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

Sheppard heads South to an exciting project that’s underway in Houston, where several young talented players are already in place including guard Jalen Green and center Alperen Şengün.

Sheppard joins a prestigious list of recent UK guards to be selected with a top-five pick in the NBA draft, along with De’Aaron Fox (No. 5 overall in 2017) and John Wall (No. 1 overall in 2010).

Sheppard, Fox and Wall are the only three UK guards to be taken with a top-five pick in the last 30 years. Sheppard is the highest overall pick to come from UK since Karl-Anthony Towns went No. 1 overall in 2015.

Alexandre Sarr, younger brother of former UK Wildcat, is No. 2 overall pick

The Washington Wizards have selected Alexandre Sarr with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

Sarr is the younger brother of Olivier Sarr, who spent the 2020-21 season at Kentucky after previously playing at Wake Forest. Olivier has gone on to carve out an NBA career for himself in Oklahoma City, despite going undrafted in 2021.

Alexandre and Olivier are both from France, and Olivier remains the only player born in France in UK history.

John Calipari is at the 2024 NBA draft to support former Kentucky players

Former UK basketball coach John Calipari is at the Barclays Center to support likely lottery picks Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard at the 2024 NBA draft.

Calipari announced his plans to attend the draft earlier Wednesday during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN. Then, prior to the start of Wednesday night’s first round, ESPN cameras caught Calipari at Sheppard’s table on the arena floor.

Entering Wednesday, a total of 45 former Wildcats who played for Calipari had been selected in the NBA draft. This includes a trio of No. 1 overall picks (John Wall in 2010, Anthony Davis in 2012 and Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015).

Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard on site at 2024 NBA draft

Dillingham and Sheppard — who were one-and-done stars on last season’s Kentucky basketball squad — both have green room invites to this year’s draft because of the expectation that they will be selected in the lottery (the first 14 picks of the NBA draft).

As such, both players have arrived and have already walked the red carpet at the draft, which is being held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Dillingham is wearing a sparkly black suit, while Sheppard is donning a green suit for the occasion.

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