In July, UK faculty in the African-American and Africana Studies program asked the school to change the name of Rupp Arena, named after Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp.
It’s a polarizing topic to say the least, as Rupp coached in an era where the sport was just beginning to allow African-Americans to play. Though Rupp recruited Black players at UK and even coached Black players when he was a high school coach, he didn’t land one at UK until Tom Payne signed to play with the Wildcats in 1969.
Over the years, Rupp has been criticized for not having Black players at UK sooner, as well as racial slurs he used during his coaching career.