UPDATE 2
Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari has now released a statement on Shaedon Sharpe declaring for the NBA draft.
“Shaedon and his family have told me that he intends to put his name in the draft while maintaining his eligibility, and they have my full support in testing the process as all players do,” Calipari said. in a press release. “Shaedon was a great teammate and handled everything that comes with being a college student-athlete the way it should be.
“Since his arrival on our campus, he has been an integral part of our program and he is already enrolled in summer and fall classes, but we support this decision to explore all options and make the best decision for his future. based on all the information it can receive.”
Again, just assume Sharpe is related to the NBA until someone legit says otherwise.
UPDATE
Shaedon Sharpe has officially declared himself for the 2022 NBA Draft, but he’s maintaining his college eligibility at this time.
Unless something drastically changes, expect him to stay in the draft.
One of John Calipari’s most polarizing situations has seemingly come to a close.
Kentucky Wildcats guard Shaedon Sharpe will enter the 2022 NBA draft and forfeit his college eligibility, according to multiple media outlets.
It comes after reports that Sharpe may not be eligible for the draft after waiting too long to graduate, but it turns out he did last May. That means there’s at least a full year between his graduation and the draft he’s entering, so he’s good to go this year.
Although he hasn’t played in a single minute of action as the Wildcat, Sharpe, who turns 19 days before the draft, should still be a top 10 pick by most reputable sources.
When you say it like that, it becomes extremely difficult to question his decision knowing that it is a decision that will earn him millions of dollars from a team invested in his future.
Kentucky freshman Shaedon Sharpe will declare for 2022 NBA draft and stay, team sources tell me and @KyleTucker_ATH. NBA teams are projecting Sharpe as a high potential lottery pick.
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) 21 avril 2022
The flip side argues that with another year of development and exposure at Kentucky, Shaedon Sharpe could be a legitimate contender for the 2023 NBA Draft No. 1 pick, making it a potentially smart financial move. to come back.
Both sides of the spectrum divided the Big Blue Nation this season once Sharpe joined the team in the second half around early January.
Before January, most were operating under the impression that Sharpe would not be eligible for the next NBA draft, making his commitment to play in the UK a lock for the 2022-23 season.
Sharpe’s camp told KSR in October that he was not a fifth-year senior. He said there was no doubt left Dream City because he was up for the challenge in Kentucky.
Now the documents magically appear indicating that he graduated in May 2021.
Kentucky is not to blame here.
– Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) 21 avril 2022
Then reports began to surface that Sharpe was indeed old enough and eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft, prompting these comments from John Calipari on Jan. 21.
“No, it doesn’t change anything. He plans to be here next year. said Calipari. “He’s watching. Whether or not I play him this year, if he’s ready to play, I’ll put him in. But he’s a great boy. He is fine. It will make workouts even better. He’s only been here two weeks. At the end of the day, you know I’m gonna be for the kids. That’s how I do it.
A few weeks later, on February 8, Calipari put the speculation to rest completely by informing the college basketball world that Shaedon Sharpe would definitely not be playing for Kentucky this season.
After talking with Shaedon and his parents, we want to end all speculation by saying again that he will not be playing for us this season.
He is committed to improving himself and our team in training this year and to being better prepared to lead us next season.
– John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) February 7, 2022
Many fans were perfectly fine allowing a phenomenal talent like Shaedon Sharpe to have a seat on the bench, even if it only meant having him as a coaching body and eventual British brand ambassador in the NBA.
While others took the position of reminding John Calipari that the University of Kentucky is not an NBA preparatory academy, it is a historic program that puts winning basketball games above all else.
No matter where you were at, you can always wish Sharpe well in his upcoming pro career while acknowledging the fact that losing him to the NBA before he gets ready to play for Kentucky stinks.
If nothing else, the warm-ups were way more exciting with Sharpe on the roster.
Hopefully everyone will try to swallow any negativity they may have about how the situation unfolded and just wish him the best as he takes the plunge into professional basketball. I’m confident the Big Blue Nation will back and support him wherever he lands in the NBA.
Good luck to Sharpe as he heads to the pros!