John Calipari’s streak of having a player selected in the first round of the NBA draft ended at 17 years when Arkansas forward Adou Thiero’s name was not one of the 30 called Wednesday night in New York. Thiero is expected to be chosen early in Thursday’s second round.
Calipari, who has had 43 players chosen in the first round, began the 17-year streak while at Memphis when Derrick Rose was chosen first overall in 2008. His time at Kentucky included three more players chosen at No. 1: John Wall (2010), Anthony Davis (2012) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2015).
Calipari, as you’d expect, went to bat for Thiero ahead of the draft when he was on the “Pat McAfee Show” last Thursday.
“Adou Thiero is a first-round draft pick, and let me tell you why: I love the physicalness of the league right now because you got to work to get a basket,” Yahoo Sports reported. “Adou can play in a physical game and, athletically, be in the top 1%. He is somebody that, if you pass on him, they’ll look back and say: How many people passed on him? He is that good, and a good kid.”
Thiero, who played two seasons for Calipari at Kentucky before joining him last season for one more at Arkansas, led the Razorbacks in scoring (15.1 points per game) and rebounding (5.8) as a junior. The 6-foot-8 forward missed eight games at the end of the season with a hyperextension to his left knee, though, and was only able to play 5:22 in Arkansas’ Sweet 16 loss to Texas Tech.
Thiero averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks as a sophomore at Kentucky in 2023-24.
John Calipari’s first-round picks
2024 (Kentucky) — Reed Sheppard, 3rd overall, Rob Dillingham, 8th overall.
2023 (Kentucky) — Cason Wallace, 10th overall.
2022 (Kentucky) — Shaedon Sharpe, 7th overall; TyTy Washington Jr., 29th overall.
2021 (Kentucky) — Isaiah Jackson, 22nd overall.
2020 (Kentucky) — Tyrese Maxey, 21st overall; Immanuel Quickley, 25th overall.
2019 (Kentucky) — P.J. Washington, 12th overall; Tyler Herro, 13th overall; Keldon Johnson, 29th overall.
2018 (Kentucky) — Kevin Knox, 9th overall; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 11th overall.
2017 (Kentucky) — De’Aaron Fox, 5th overall; Malik Monk, 11th overall; Bam Adebayo, 14th overall.
2016 (Kentucky) — Jamal Murray, 7th overall; Skal Labissiere, 28th overall.
2015 (Kentucky) — Karl-Anthony Towns, 1st overall; Willie Cauley-Stein, 6th overall; Trey Lyles, 12th overall; Devin Booker, 13th overall.
2014 (Kentucky) — Julius Randle, 7th overall; James Young, 17th overall.
2013 (Kentucky) — Nerlens Noel, 6th overall; Archie Goodwin, 29th overall.
2012 (Kentucky) — Anthony Davis, 1st overall; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, 2nd overall; Terrence Jones, 18th overall; Marquis Teague, 29th overall.
2011 (Kentucky) — Enes Kanter Freedom, 3rd overall; Brandon Knight, 8th overall.
2010 (Kentucky) — John Wall, 1st overall; DeMarcus Cousins, 5th overall; Patrick Patterson, 14th overall; Eric Bledsoe, 18th overall; Daniel Orton, 29th overall.
2009 (Memphis) — Tyreke Evans, 4th overall.
2008 (Memphis) — Derrick Rose, 1st overall.
2006 (Memphis) — Rodney Carney, 16th overall; Shawne Williams, 17th overall.
2002 (Memphis) — Dajuan Wagner, 6th overall.
1996 (UMass) — Marcus Camby, 2nd overall.