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Reed Sheppard

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Reed Sheppard
Sheppard with Kentucky in 2023
Houston Rockets
PositionShooting guard / point guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2004-06-24) June 24, 2004 (age 20)
London, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth Laurel
(London, Kentucky)
CollegeKentucky (2023–2024)
NBA draft2024: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentHouston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Isaiah Reed Sheppard (born June 24, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class. Sheppard was drafted as the 3rd pick in the 2024 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.

Early life and high school career

Reed Sheppard is the son of Jeff and Stacey Sheppard, who were both Kentucky basketball players in the 1990s. Sheppard grew up in London, Kentucky and attended North Laurel High School.[1] He became North Laurel's starting shooting guard as a freshman and averaged 20.6 points per game.[2] Sheppard led the state of Kentucky in scoring during his sophomore season after averaging 30.1 points per game in 28 games played.[3] He was named the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 25.5 points, 7.6 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 steals per game.[4] Sheppard was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[5] He was named Kentucky Mr. Basketball after averaging 22.5 points, 8.5 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game.[6] Sheppard finished his high school career with 3,727 points, 1,214 assists and 1,050 rebounds.[7]

Recruiting

Sheppard was considered a top-50 prospect in the 2023 class.[8][9] On November 20, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky over offers from Louisville and Virginia.[10][11]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Reed Sheppard
SG 		London, KY North Laurel (KY) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 20, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 28  247Sports: 79  ESPN: 23
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  • "2023 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.

College career

Sheppard enrolled at the University of Kentucky in June 2023, shortly after graduating from high school.[12] He was assigned jersey number 15, his father's number.[13] During the summer before his freshman year Sheppard played for the Wildcats in the GLOBL JAM tournament in Canada and averaged 8.5 points, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game over four games as the team went undefeated and won the tournament.[14]

After the regular season, Sheppard was named SEC Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches.[15][a]

At the end of the season, Sheppard was named the national freshman of the year by both the United States Basketball Writers Association[17] and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.[18]

On April 18, 2024, Sheppard announced that he would declare for the 2024 NBA draft and forego his remaining college eligibility.[19]

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2024–present)

On June 26, 2024, Sheppard was selected with the third overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA Draft.[20]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Kentucky 33 5 28.9 .536 .521 .831 4.1 4.5 2.5 .7 12.5

Personal life

Sheppard's father, Jeff Sheppard, played college basketball at Kentucky and was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1998 NCAA tournament and later played in 18 games during the 1998–99 NBA season season for the Atlanta Hawks.[21][22] His mother, the former Stacey Reed, also played basketball at Kentucky and scored over 1,400 career points.[23][24] Sheppard's older sister, Madison, played college basketball at Campbellsville University.[25]

Footnotes

  1. ^ The Freshman of the Year award is one of two awards presented to the top player in his first season of SEC play. Associated Press writers who cover SEC men's basketball vote on a Newcomer of the Year award, open to any player in his first season of SEC play regardless of academic classification. The AP award went to Dalton Knecht, a fifth-year senior who transferred from Northern Colorado to Tennessee after the 2022–23 season and was named SEC Player of the Year by both the coaches and the AP.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ Forde, Pat (March 4, 2021). "John Calipari, Reed Sheppard and Kentucky's Recruiting Crossroads". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Roberts, Ben (June 28, 2021). "Recruiting analysts discuss Kentucky prospect Reed Sheppard". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "Reed Sheppard: Louisville showing more interest than Kentucky". Courier Journal. July 5, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Frakes, Jason (March 16, 2022). "Reed Sheppard, UK commit, named Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year". Courier Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Holton, Brooks (January 24, 2023). "McDonald's All-American Game 2023 roster: Reed Sheppard makes the cut". Courier Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Peck, Jared (March 19, 2023). "Reed Sheppard named Mr. Basketball; Haven Ford named Miss Basketball". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Frakes, Jason (March 16, 2023). "KHSAA Sweet 16 results: UK signee Reed Sheppard's high school career ends in first round". Courier Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Lowe, John (August 29, 2021). "Reed Sheppard rated 5-star recruit". WYMT.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Hale, Jon (November 16, 2021). "Kentucky basketball recruiting: Reed Sheppard could join 2023 class". Courier Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff and Biancardi, Paul (November 20, 2021). "Reed Sheppard, No. 37 men's basketball prospect in 2023, commits to Kentucky Wildcats". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  11. ^ Boone, Kyle (November 20, 2021). "Kentucky basketball recruiting: Five-star CG Reed Sheppard, follows in father's footsteps, commits to Wildcats". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Drummond, Cameron (May 31, 2023). "This year's Kentucky Mr. Basketball won't play in annual all-star series against Indiana". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Roberts, Ben (July 5, 2023). "Reed Sheppard is changing jersey numbers for Kentucky basketball career. Why the switch?". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Tucker, Kyle (July 17, 2023). "How Kentucky basketball changed the conversation with its four wins in Canada". The Athletic. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "2024 SEC Men's Basketball Awards announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  16. ^ Zenor, John (March 12, 2024). "Tennessee's Dalton Knecht named AP's SEC player of year; South Carolina's Paris is coach of year". Associated Press. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "Kentucky's Sheppard wins 2024 Wayman Tisdale Award as National Freshman of the Year" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  18. ^ "NABC Division I Coach, Player of the Year Awards Announced" (Press release). National Association of Basketball Coaches. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  19. ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 18, 2024). "Reed Sheppard enters NBA draft, leaves Kentucky after 1 season". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Quinn, Sam (June 26, 2024). "Reed Sheppard to Rockets with No. 3 pick in NBA Draft 2024: Kentucky freshman standout lands in Houston". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  21. ^ Tucker, Kyle (November 20, 2021). "Reed Sheppard follows family legacy to Kentucky: 'It's in his blood'". The Athletic. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  22. ^ Francis, John Morgan (February 15, 2021). "Monday Quickies: Kentucky Contacts Reed Sheppard Edition". ASeaOfBlue.com. SB Nation. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  23. ^ Levy, Dustin B (December 17, 2022). "City of Palms: Reed Sheppard poised for his own legacy at Kentucky". The News-Press. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  24. ^ Tucker, Kyle (July 9, 2021). "The circus comes to town as Reed Sheppard and Kentucky intersect at Adidas event". The Athletic. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  25. ^ Vaught, Larry (December 28, 2021). "Madison Sheppard was her brother's protector during recruiting". The State Journal. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
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