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Reed Sheppard

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Reed Sheppard
Sheppard withKentuckyin 2023
No. 15 – 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 theHouston Rockets
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentHouston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
StatsEdit this at Wikidataat NBA.com

Isaiah Reed Sheppard(born June 24, 2004) is an American professionalbasketballplayer for theHouston Rocketsof theNational Basketball Association(NBA). He playedcollege basketballfor theKentucky Wildcats.He was a consensus four-starrecruitand one of the top players in the 2023 class. Sheppard was drafted as the 3rd pick in the2024 NBA draftby the Houston Rockets.

Early life and high school career[edit]

Sheppard grew up inLondon, Kentuckyand attendedNorth Laurel High School.[1]He became North Laurel's startingshooting guardas 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 the2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Gameduring his senior year.[5]He was namedKentucky Mr. Basketballafter 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[edit]

Sheppard was considered a top-50 prospect in the 2023 class.[8][9]On November 20, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball forKentuckyover offers fromLouisvilleandVirginia.[10][11]

UScollege sports recruitinginformation 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:Scout:N/ARivals:4/5 stars247Sports:4/5 starsESPN:4/5 starsESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:Rivals:28247Sports:79ESPN: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.RetrievedOctober 14,2023.
  • "2023 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class".ESPN.com.RetrievedOctober 14,2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking".Rivals.com.RetrievedOctober 14,2023.

College career[edit]

Sheppard enrolled at theUniversity of Kentuckyin 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 namedSEC Freshman of the Yearby the conference coaches.[15][a]

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

On April 18, 2024, Sheppard announced that he would declare for the2024 NBA draftand forego his remaining college eligibility.[19]

Professional career[edit]

Houston Rockets (2024–present)[edit]

Sheppard was selected with the third overall pick by theHouston Rocketsin the2024 NBA draft.[20]He signed a rookie-scale contract with the team on July 3, 2024.[21]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
FG% Field goalpercentage 3P% 3-point field goalpercentage FT% Free throwpercentage
RPG Reboundsper game APG Assistsper game SPG Stealsper game
BPG Blocksper game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

College[edit]

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[edit]

Sheppard's father,Jeff Sheppard,played college basketball at Kentucky and was theMost Outstanding Playerof the1998 NCAA tournamentand later played in 18 games during the1998–99 NBA seasonseason for theAtlanta Hawks.[22][23]His mother, the former Stacey Reed, also played basketball at Kentucky and scored over 1,400 career points.[24][25]Sheppard's older sister, Madison, played college basketball atCampbellsville University.[26]

Footnotes[edit]

  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 Presswriters 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 toDalton Knecht,a fifth-year senior who transferred fromNorthern ColoradotoTennesseeafter the 2022–23 season and was namedSEC Player of the Yearby both the coaches and the AP.[15][16]

References[edit]

  1. ^Forde, Pat (March 4, 2021)."John Calipari, Reed Sheppard and Kentucky's Recruiting Crossroads".Sports Illustrated.RetrievedMarch 15,2023.
  2. ^Roberts, Ben (June 28, 2021)."Recruiting analysts discuss Kentucky prospect Reed Sheppard".Lexington Herald Leader.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  3. ^"Reed Sheppard: Louisville showing more interest than Kentucky".Courier Journal.July 5, 2021.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  4. ^Frakes, Jason (March 16, 2022)."Reed Sheppard, UK commit, named Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year".Courier Journal.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  5. ^Holton, Brooks (January 24, 2023)."McDonald's All-American Game 2023 roster: Reed Sheppard makes the cut".Courier Journal.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  6. ^Peck, Jared (March 19, 2023)."Reed Sheppard named Mr. Basketball; Haven Ford named Miss Basketball".Lexington Herald Leader.RetrievedMarch 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.RetrievedMarch 17,2023.
  8. ^Lowe, John (August 29, 2021)."Reed Sheppard rated 5-star recruit".WYMT.com.RetrievedMarch 9,2023.
  9. ^Hale, Jon (November 16, 2021)."Kentucky basketball recruiting: Reed Sheppard could join 2023 class".Courier Journal.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  10. ^Borzello, Jeff andBiancardi, Paul(November 20, 2021)."Reed Sheppard, No. 37 men's basketball prospect in 2023, commits to Kentucky Wildcats".ESPN.com.RetrievedJune 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.RetrievedMarch 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.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  13. ^Roberts, Ben (July 5, 2023)."Reed Sheppard is changing jersey numbers for Kentucky basketball career. Why the switch?".Lexington Herald Leader.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  14. ^Tucker, Kyle (July 17, 2023)."How Kentucky basketball changed the conversation with its four wins in Canada".The Athletic.RetrievedJuly 20,2023.
  15. ^ab"2024 SEC Men's Basketball Awards announced"(Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 11, 2024.RetrievedMarch 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.RetrievedMarch 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.RetrievedMarch 18,2024.
  18. ^"NABC Division I Coach, Player of the Year Awards Announced"(Press release). National Association of Basketball Coaches. April 2, 2024.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
  19. ^Givony, Jonathan (April 18, 2024)."Reed Sheppard enters NBA draft, leaves Kentucky after 1 season".ESPN.com.RetrievedApril 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".CBSSports.com.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
  21. ^"Rockets Announce Roster Moves".NBA.com.July 3, 2024.RetrievedJuly 5,2024.
  22. ^Tucker, Kyle (November 20, 2021)."Reed Sheppard follows family legacy to Kentucky: 'It's in his blood'".The Athletic.RetrievedMarch 6,2023.
  23. ^Francis, John Morgan (February 15, 2021)."Monday Quickies: Kentucky Contacts Reed Sheppard Edition".ASeaOfBlue.com.SB Nation.RetrievedMarch 20,2023.
  24. ^Levy, Dustin B (December 17, 2022)."City of Palms: Reed Sheppard poised for his own legacy at Kentucky".The News-Press.RetrievedJune 18,2023.
  25. ^Tucker, Kyle (July 9, 2021)."The circus comes to town as Reed Sheppard and Kentucky intersect at Adidas event".The Athletic.RetrievedMarch 15,2023.
  26. ^Vaught, Larry (December 28, 2021)."Madison Sheppard was her brother's protector during recruiting".The State Journal.RetrievedMarch 9,2023.

External links[edit]

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