Another former Kentucky basketball player has signed his first deal in the NBA.
First-year guard Antonio Reeves has made his contract official, signing a three-year and $5.41 million deal. Reeves was the 47th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft this June.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Antonio Reeves have agreed to a three-year, $5.41 million deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Reeves was the No. 47 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic and was acquired by the Pelicans in a trade during the draft. pic.twitter.com/VlRm9pSYHy
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 22, 2024
After a successful career at Illinois State, Reeves played two seasons in Lexington and averaged 17.2 points per game while connecting on 42.2 percent of his three-point attempts. He made 164 3s in his Kentucky career.
Reeves was the SEC Sixth Man of the Year in his first season at Kentucky and then followed that up with an All-SEC First-Team season last year after averaging 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and shooting 44.7 percent from three -- one of the best percentages in all of college basketball.
He was the only Power 5 player and one of just three players in all DI to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 44 percent from three and 86 percent from the foul line.
Reeves is coming off of Summer League action where he averaged 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and shot 32 percent.
“Antonio was a big-time shooter, playmaker,” Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham said last month. “I saw him actually — I was telling him when we were walking in — I saw him play his first game at Illinois State when he was playing in the Missouri Valley tournament.
“He’s a marksman.”