The 1996 Kentucky Basketball roster has been in the news a lot recently. With the former star-center now the head coach at the University of Kentucky, everyone is interested in looking at the history behind the new coach. He was the leader on the team coached by Rick Pitino. The team won the 1996 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament championship going 34-2 on the season. We’ll take a quick look at the team, who all went on to play in the NBA and more.
How Many Players from the 1996 Kentucky Basketball Roster Played in the NBA?
The 1995-1996 Kentucky basketball team is also known as the “Untouchables.” We saw nine players from the team go on to play in the NBA. They were (in alphabetical order): Derek Anderson, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer. Nazr Mohammed, Mark Pope, Jeff Sheppard, Wayne Turner, and Antoine Walker. This was the first NCAA men’s basketball championship for Kentucky in just about two decades. The team would defeat Syracuse in the championship game, 76-67.
High School Parade All-Americans on the Roster
Out of the nine players who would go on to play in the NBA, six were high school Parade All-Americans. These players are: Antoine Walker, Jeff Sheppard, Ron Mercer, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, and Wayne Turner. Of course, Jeff Sheppard’s son, Reed Sheppard was a star guard for the 2023-24 Kentucky Wildcat team under then Coach John Calipari.
1996 Kentucky Basketball Roster
Now Coach Mark Pope was the center for the 1996 Kentucky basketball roster. He averaged 7.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per contest.
| Player | Class | Pos | Height | Summary |
| Tony Delk | SR | G | 6-1 | 17.8 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 1.8 Ast |
| Antoine Walker | SO | F | 6-8 | 15.2 Pts, 8.4 Reb, 2.9 Ast |
| Walter McCarty | SR | F | 6-10 | 11.3 Pts, 5.7 Reb, 2.6 Ast |
| Derek Anderson | JR | F | 6-5 | 9.4 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 2.4 Ast |
| Ron Mercer | FR | F | 6-7 | 8.0 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 1.4 Ast |
| Mark Pope | SR | C | 6-10 | 7.6 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 1.0 Ast |
| Anthony Epps | JR | G | 6-2 | 6.7 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 4.9 Ast |
| Jeff Sheppard | JR | G | 6-3 | 5.5 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 1.9 Ast |
| Wayne Turner | FR | G | 6-2 | 4.5 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 1.6 Ast |
| Allen Edwards | SO | F | 6-5 | 3.3 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 1.2 Ast |
| Nazr Mohammed | FR | C | 6-10 | 2.3 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.2 Ast |
| Oliver Simmons | FR | F | 6-8 | 1.8 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.1 Ast |
| Jared Prickett | SR | F | 6-8 | 3.4 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 0.6 Ast |
| Cameron Mills | SO | G | 6-3 | 0.9 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.1 Ast |
| Jason Lathrem | FR | F | 6-8 | 0.5 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.3 As |
1996 Kentucky Wildcat Basketball Highlights (Documentary)
Here are some highlights that I like from the 1996 Kentucky team. Fans are hoping that Mark Pope will bring the Wildcats back to prominence and a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. We’ll have to wait and see. But for now, the documentary for the team.
