Hey friends! Out of pure curiosity, I'm trying to figure out which college b-ball coach has given the NBA the most players. I'm a big fan of both NCAA and NBA, so I thought this would be a fun stat to know.
John Calipari, who was the head coach at the University of Kentucky from 2009 to 2024, has seen a large number of his players advance to the NBA. Throughout his career, which has also included head coaching stints at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Memphis, Calipari has coached close to 40 players who have gone on to play in the NBA. Kentucky alone has produced roughly 30 NBA players under his leadership, and this doesn't even include the players he coached who declared for the NBA draft but were not selected. The exact number may vary, depending on how players' NBA success is measured, but Calipari's contribution to the NBA has been significant. Keep in mind, however, that this is a fluid statistic and coaches still active in college basketball could have changing numbers as players continue to advance from their programs to the NBA.
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