If you’re purchasing your first alcoholic beverage in 2023, you’ve only seen Kentucky retire one former player’s jersey in your lifetime. The second will happen Feb. 4 when the Wildcats salute Mike Pratt by placing his jersey in the rafters of Rupp Arena.
There is no greater gesture in all of sports than honoring an individual by hanging their jersey atop the field of play. Its permanence reflects the significance of the individual’s contributions. Surely, there has been more than one significant Kentucky basketball player that has earned this tribute over the last 21 years.
Using Jon Scott’s Big Blue History website as a reference, there are 38 retired jerseys of former Kentucky basketball players at Rupp Arena.