Kentucky

13 Kentucky guys set to play in the NBA Summer League

Published

1 year ago

July 7, 2025

13 Kentucky guys set to play in the NBA Summer League

At least 13 former Kentucky Wildcats will suit up for a team in this year’s confusingly named 2025 NBA 2K26 Summer League. All five rookies signed from Mark Pope’s inaugural team will make their professional basketball debuts, plus we will see a few names from the past. Also, with the flexible roster structure in this format, you never know who else might join (or leave) a team at any given moment.

The Salt Lake Summer League and California Classic are already underway, with Justin Edwards picking up where he left off in the regular season. You can catch Edwards Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. against the Grizzlies on YouTube in the Salt Lake finale; however, that is just the warm-up act for the main event in Las Vegas, which kicks off on Thursday, July 10.

Starting with the Kentucky players most recently drafted, here are former ‘Cats to watch this year and when to watch them:

Koby Brea | Phoenix Suns | #14

Koby Brea was the first Wildcat plucked off the board in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Phoenix Suns made a series of trades to acquire the rights to Brea, and those transactions finally became official this week. Second-year player, Oso Ighodaro, wears number 4 for the Suns, so Koby chose 14 instead, the number TyTy Washington wore for Phoenix last year. The Suns are in salary cap limbo, so Brea (a relatively cheap rookie) has a good shot at making the opening-day roster.

Amari Williams | Boston Celtics | #77

Amari Williams became the second Mark Pope player drafted into the NBA when he came off the board to the Boston Celtics at 46. He subsequently signed a two-way contract with the team, but considering the Celtics have since traded away big men Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet, there are openings at the center position to be filled. Look for Amari to compete for an opening-day roster spot while channeling his inner Kerr Kriisa by wearing number 77.

Jaxson Robinson | Cleveland Cavaliers | #14

It took way too long for a team to sign Jaxson Robinson, but eventually, the Cleveland Cavaliers wised up and brought in Jax on an Exhibit-10 contract. He will have a steep hill to climb to make the roster, but with a healed wrist, injuries will no longer hold him back. He will wear number 14, the same number he wore during his one-year stint at Arkansas.

Andrew Carr | Portland Trail Blazers | #64

Andrew Carr will get a chance to make a mark in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. Carr signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Blazers after going undrafted. Considering he will be wearing number 64, digits that were likely assigned, not chosen, Carr will likely spend a good chunk of the year in the G-League squad with the Rip City Remix, but a (now healthy) big man who can stretch the floor is always a valuable asset in the NBA. You never know.

Lamont Butler | Atlanta Hawks | #31

Much like Andrew Carr and Jaxson Robinson, Lamont Butler will use the Summer League to showcase what he can do while healthy. The Atlanta Hawks signed Butler to a two-way deal, meaning his chances of seeing the NBA court this year are promising. Big Blue Nation should look forward to seeing Butler play without that gigantic brace on his shoulder, as should Hawks fans.

Reed Sheppard | Houston Rockets | #15

Reed Sheppard lit up the Summer League last year and is coming back for more. A victim of being on an incredibly talented team, Sheppard didn’t see much action during the season, though he showed flashes of brilliance. With Kevin Durant now on the roster, Sheppard could be facing a similar blockade of talented veterans when it comes to his quest for playing time, but another solid Summer League outing will demonstrate that he is ready and capable when given the opportunity.

Rob Dillingham | Minnesota Timberwolves | #4

Kentucky’s other lottery pick from a year ago, Rob Dillingham, was also never able to fully break into his team’s rotation last year. He, like Sheppard, showed signs of greatness, and he’ll look to showcase that shiftiness in the Summer League before his second season in the NBA. Rob has grown close with Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, so look for him to get more opportunities this season.

Justin Edwards | Philadelphia 76ers | #19

Justin Edwards busted into the scene as an undrafted free agent last year for the Philadelphia 76ers and never looked back. He averaged 10.1 points per game and earned a new three-year contract for his efforts. It is hard not to be happy for Edwards, who struggled at Kentucky but is really showing out now in the NBA.

Antonio Reeves | New Orleans Pelicans | #12

The New Orleans Pelicans inexplicably waived Antonio Reeves after the marksman shot lights out for the team last season. The Pels are doing him a solid, though, and letting him hang around to compete on their Summer League team with the hopes of another organization picking him up. Reeves is too good a shooter to remain a free agent for long.

Chris Livingston | Milwaukee Bucks | #7

Similar to Reeves, Chris Livingston was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks but will play for their Summer League squad in an effective tryout for the other 29 NBA teams. Livingston has yet to find his NBA footing after going 58th overall to the Bucks in 2023, but maybe a change in scenery will help.

Jacob Toppin | Atlanta Hawks | #00

Now with his third NBA team, Jacob Toppin will play for the Atlanta Hawks this summer with hopes of playing for them this fall. Toppin’s NBA highlight thus far in his career was competing in the 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and the Hawks are excited to see that raw athleticism translate on the court.

Keion Brooks | New Orleans Pelicans | #11

The official roster shows Keion Brooks is from Washington, but Kentucky fans will always claim him. Brooks played great for the Pelicans during their final handful of games last season, and the team must have been equally impressed, as he will join their Summer League team with a legitimate shot at making their opening-day roster.

Lance Ware | New York Knicks | #45

Just when you thought you were all caught up on former Kentucky Wildcats in the 2025 Summer League, the New York Knicks released their official roster featuring Big Blue Nation favorite, Lance Ware. After departing Lexington for Villanova, Ware spent his fifth year of college basketball at UT Arlington. Now he will represent the Big Apple in Las Vegas and vie for a spot in the league. Get it, Lance.

Las Vegas Summer League Schedule

Thursday, July 10

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
3:30 PM	New Orleans Pelicans (Antonio Reeves, Keion Brooks)	Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham)	ESPN2, ESPN+
5:00 PM	Cleveland Cavaliers (Jaxson Robinson)	Indiana Pacers	NBATV, ESPN+
9:30 PM	Denver Nuggets	Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston)	NBATV, ESPN+
10:00 PM	San Antonio Spurs	Philadelphia 76ers (Justin Edwards)	ESPN, ESPN+

Friday, July 11

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
4:00 PM	Memphis Grizzlies	Boston Celtics (Amari Williams)	NBATV, ESPN+
4:30 PM	Atlanta Hawks (Lamont Butler, Jacob Toppin)	Miami Heat	ESPN2, ESPN+
6:00 PM	Detroit Pistons	New York Knicks (Lance Ware)	NBA TV, ESPN+
9:00 PM	Washington Wizards	Phoenix Suns (Koby Brea)	ESPN, ESPN+
10:00 PM	LA Clippers	Houston Rockets (Reed Sheppard)	NBATV, ESPN+
11:00 PM	Portland Trail Blazers (Andrew Carr)	Golden State Warriors	ESPN2, ESPN+

Saturday, July 12

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
3:30 PM	Cleveland Cavaliers (Jaxson Robinson)	Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston)	NBATV, ESPN+
6:30 PM	Charlotte Hornets	Philadelphia 76ers (Justin Edwards)	ESPN2, ESPN+
8:30 PM	Los Angeles Lakers	New Orleans Pelicans (Antonio Reeves, Keion Brooks)	ESPN2, ESPN+
10:00 PM	Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham)	Denver Nuggets	NBATV, ESPN+
10:30 PM	Memphis Grizzlies	Portland Trail Blazers (Andrew Carr)	ESPN2, ESPN+

Sunday, July 13

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
3:30 PM	Phoenix Suns (Koby Brea)	Atlanta Hawks (Lamont Butler, Jacob Toppin)	NBATV, ESPN+
4:00 PM	Detroit Pistons	Houston Rockets (Reed Sheppard)	ESPN2, ESPN+
5:30 PM	New York Knicks (Lance Ware)	Boston Celtics (Amari Williams)	NBATV, ESPN+
7:30 PM	Miami Heat	Cleveland Cavaliers (Jaxson Robinson)	NBATV, ESPN+
9:30 PM	Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston)	LA Clippers	NBATV, ESPN+

Monday, July 14

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
4:30 PM	Atlanta Hawks (Lamont Butler, Jacob Toppin)	Houston Rockets (Reed Sheppard)	NBATV, ESPN+
8:00 PM	Boston Celtics (Amari Williams)	Miami Heat	ESPNU, ESPN+
10:00 PM	Phoenix Suns (Koby Brea)	Sacramento Kings	ESPNU, ESPN+

Tuesday, July 15

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
4:30 PM	Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham)	Detroit Pistons	ESPN2, ESPN+
6:00 PM	New York Knicks (Lance Ware)	Brooklyn Nets	ESPN2, ESPN+
8:30 PM	Philadelphia 76ers (Justin Edwards)	Washington Wizards	NBATV, ESPN+
10:00 PM	Portland Trail Blazers (Andrew Carr)	Memphis Grizzlies	NBATV, ESPN+

Wednesday, July 16

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
3:30 PM	Sacramento Kings	Cleveland Cavaliers (Jaxson Robinson)	ESPN2, ESPN+
5:00 PM	Phoenix Suns (Koby Brea)	Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham)	NBATV, ESPN+
5:30 PM	Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston)	Chicago Bulls	ESPN2, ESPN+
8:00 PM	Dallas Mavericks	Philadelphia 76ers (Justin Edwards)	ESPN, ESPN+
9:30 PM	New Orleans Pelicans (Antonio Reeves, Keion Brooks)	OKC Thunder	NBATV, ESPN+

Thursday, July 17

TIME (ET)	HOME	AWAY	TV/STREAMING
4:30 PM	Indiana Pacers	New York Knicks (Lance Ware)	ESPN2, ESPN+
6:00 PM	Atlanta Hawks (Lamont Butler, Jacob Toppin)	Memphis Grizzlies	NBATV, ESPN+
8:00 PM	Houston Rockets (Reed Sheppard)	Portland Trail Blazers (Andrew Carr)	NBATV, ESPN+
9:00 PM	Boston Celtics (Amari Williams)	Los Angeles Lakers	ESPN, ESPN+

Kentucky players in the 2025 NBA Summer League

Player	Team	Number
Amari Williams	Boston Celtics	77
Andrew Carr	Portland Trailblazers	64
Antonio Reeves	New Orleans Pelicans	12
Chris Livingston	Philadelphia 76ers	7
Jacob Toppin	Atlanta Hawks	00
Jaxson Robinson	Cleveland Cavaliers	14
Justin Edwards	Phildadelphia 76ers	19
Keion Brooks	New Orleans Pelicans	11
Koby Brea	Phoenix Suns	14
Lamont Butler	Atlanta Hawks	31
Lance Ware	New York Knicks	45
Reed Sheppard	Houston Rockets	15
Rob Dillingham	Minnesota Timberwolves	4

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Kentucky

Exantus may be subject to involuntary hospitalization due to Kentucky law

Published

4 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Exantus may be subject to involuntary hospitalization due to Kentucky law

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet has released new information regarding the release of the man convicted in the death of Logan Tipton.

Ronald Exantus, 42, will be released from the Kentucky State Reformatory on July 29. Still, before that, he may be subject to involuntary hospitalization due to his not being found guilty by reason of insanity on one count of murder and one count of burglary.

According to a letter sent on June 5 by the cabinet to Chief Circuit Court Judge Jeremy Mattox, Commonwealth’s Attorney Kelli Kearney, and Department of Public Advocacy Directing Attorney Josh Miller, the court has the opportunity to begin involuntary hospitalization proceedings against Exantus, as mentioned in the judgment against him.

READ THE LETTER BELOW

Per Kentucky law, when a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity, the court shall order an involuntary hospitalization; the court may also order a 10-day detention period to allow proceedings to be initiated.

The cabinet states in the letter that it does not have the authority to initiate the proceedings because Exantus was found guility but mentally on three counts of assault.

WKYT has reached out to the Woodford County Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Department of Public Advocacy to ask whether involuntary hospitalization procedures are being initiated in this case. We have yet to hear back.

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Kentucky

Kentucky lawmakers hold town hall on AI data centers in Louisville

Published

15 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky lawmakers hold town hall on AI data centers in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Kentucky state lawmakers held a town hall Wednesday night at the South Central Regional Library in south Louisville to hear directly from residents about concerns over hyperscale AI data centers — one of several public meetings on the issue in recent months, but the first organized by legislators themselves.

State senators and representatives convened the meeting on their own time, during the legislative off-season, ahead of January’s session.

“This is a time to bring people together, allow community to have their voice heard, and us take that information back so when it does come time for January, we have the right information in order to create policy that is going to be good for our constituents,” said Sen. Keturah Herron.

Residents, advocates, and organizers packed the library to raise concerns about energy demand, water use, noise, transparency, and whether costs would be passed to everyday utility customers.

Rep. Lisa Wellner cautioned that the legislative fight ahead would be difficult.

“The utilities lobby is very, very powerful in Frankfort…These are going to be the same powerful moneyed forces we’re going to be up against with these hyperscale data centers,” Wellner said.

Sen. Gary Clemons, a 30-year chemical industry veteran, drew a comparison between the potential impact of AI data centers and the effects of factories already bordering some Louisville neighborhoods.

“I negotiate with multi-million, billion dollar companies every day. I’m ready to go toe-to-toe with them now, if we’re ready to do it,” Clemons said.

U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey also attended the meeting.

“I am sick and tired and done with out-of-state corporations coming into our state, our home, our community — and using our resources, wasting and exploiting our people for their gain,” McGarvey said.

Attendee Virginia Bush, who came with a list of concerns about the city’s draft regulations, said halting data centers entirely was not realistic but that inaction was not an option.

“We know it’s not realistic to stop all of them, because people use the data in their everyday life…but they need to be regulated so that these things aren’t causing damage to the communities and to the environment,” Bush said.

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Kentucky

Cyclospora parasite cases in Kentucky, health officials warn

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Cyclospora parasite cases in Kentucky, health officials warn

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Health officials are warning residents about a rise in Cyclospora cases, a parasite that causes an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis and can leave people sick for weeks.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health reported 67 cases between June 14 and July 2 — nearly double the approximately 35 cases the state typically sees in an entire year. While cases normally rise in the spring and summer months, Kentucky is among several states seeing a larger-than-typical increase.

Cases likely undercounted, health official says

Cassie Prather of the Woodford County Health Department said the reported numbers are likely an undercount.

“At this point, we have an underreported number of cases because a lot of people will deal with this and their immune system can kick it in a few days,” Prather said. “For those with a suppressed immune system it can lead to quick dehydration or even a hospital visits if they’re dealing with symptoms that don’t go away for 3-5 days.”

How the parasite spreads

People can become infected after eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Fresh produce has been linked to outbreaks in the United States, but the CDC says it is still working to pinpoint the cause of the current increase.

Symptoms and timeline

Symptoms often begin about a week after exposure but can appear as soon as two days or more than two weeks later. The most common symptom is watery diarrhea. People may also experience stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, bloating, and weight loss. Symptoms can last weeks and sometimes return after improving.

“You’re going to endure stomach cramps, nausea, sometimes you can have a low-grade fever with that,” Prather said.

Prevention guidance

Public health experts urge people to follow food-safety guidelines to reduce the risk of cyclosporiasis and other intestinal illnesses. That includes washing hands with soap and water before and after handling raw fruits and vegetables, and refrigerating cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables within two hours.

Health officials say people whose symptoms last more than a few days, keep returning, or cause signs of dehydration should contact a healthcare provider for evaluation and possible testing.

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