Two weeks ago, amid the hustle and bustle of NBA draft season, Otega Oweh returned to the place that provided him with the platform that has the league’s biggest decision makers taking notice. This trip had nothing to do with basketball. Oweh was back in Rupp Arena one more time. But instead of a white jersey with blue lettering — what Kentucky fans had grown accustomed to seeing him wear over the past two years — he donned a blue cap and gown with a white sash. The now-former college basketball star was there to walk across the Rupp stage as a UK graduate. “It was amazing,” said Oweh, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication. “My whole family was there. I really got to enjoy it with my family. Just having everyone there celebrating — they showed up and showed out, so we had fun. “And then obviously just being in Lexington one last time,
it was amazing. It was sad, coming and going, but it was a great two years, and that was kind of like the final goodbye. I got to see everybody. I got to work out there one last time. So I was just really thankful and appreciative that I was able to go back and walk.” In a one-on-one interview with the Herald-Leader from the NBA Combine, the former UK standout reflected on his final two seasons of college and the future that awaits, he hopes, at the highest level of the sport he loves. When Oweh originally committed to new Kentucky coach Mark Pope out of the transfer portal a little more than two years ago, he was viewed as an intriguing addition for a new era of UK basketball, but he lacked the track record of some of his more celebrated teammates and was far from a sure thing following a couple of uneven years spent as an underclassman at Oklahoma.
The New Jersey native made such a splash in his first year as a Wildcat, however, that he sparked NBA interest after his junior season, going through the draft process last year before ultimately deciding to return to Lexington and be the anchor for Pope’s second UK team. The 2025-26 season didn’t go as many expected, but Oweh continued to flourish,
leading the Cats in scoring for the second consecutive year and maintaining his position as a potential pick in next month’s NBA draft. He’s stayed plenty busy in the two months since Kentucky’s season came to an end. “It’s a dream, just going through this process,” Oweh said. “Obviously getting invited to the Combine, I’m thankful. And it’s just hooping, you know, 24/7, and then obviously meeting with the teams and doing the NBPA meetings. It’s been really fun, just knowing that this is going to be my reality soon. So I’m enjoying it.”
Oweh is no lock to be selected in the June 23-24 draft, but he often shows up as a second-round pick in the most prominent mock drafts, and his stock appears to be on the rise following Combine week, where he turned in a couple of impressive scrimmage performances. CBS Sports projected Oweh as the No. 48 overall pick in its first update following the Combine, and Yahoo Sports had him at No. 53 on its most recent board. The Athletic pegged Oweh as the No. 56 in its most recent mock draft, which was posted before the Combine began. At the time of Oweh’s interview with the Herald-Leader, he said the Oklahoma City Thunder were the only team he had personally met with, though he later took part in a private “pro day” workout for NBA scouts while in Chicago and was in the process of setting
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