The first former Kentucky player off the board in the 2020 NBA draft, as expected, was Tyrese Maxey.
The Philadelphia 76ers chose the guard with the 21st overall pick in the first round on Wednesday night.
Maxey fought through tears as he was interviewed during the ESPN broadcast.
"I just want to show 'em that I can compete and do what I can do. I trust myself, I put the work in. I'm just so excited, I'm so thankful."
Maxey worked in the offseason with former UK guard Rajon Rondo.
"I've learned so much from Rondo," Maxey said. "He taught me the tricks of the trade. I thank Philadelphia for this opportunity. I promise you, it won't lead to regret."
Doc Rivers, hired recently as the 76ers' head coach, was later asked for his assessment of Maxey.
"Competitive, tough," Rivers said. "When you have a guy like Ben Simmons who has the ball, you don't need a pure point guard. You need guards, you need players, and I think Tyrese fits that mold."
Maxey averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his lone season in Lexington. He averaged 42.7% from the field and 29.2% from 3-point range.
Maxey said recently that working on his shot has been a priority since UK's season ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Of the 14 UK guards taken in the first round of an NBA draft in John Calipari's time as coach, only Archie Goodwin (26.6% in 2012-13) and De'Aaron Fox (24.6% in 2016-17) shot a poorer percentage from beyond the arc.
"I think I shot a flat ball in college," Maxey said. "So, I've been working on it every single day since May to get my arc up, get my elbow above my eye and repeating reps upon reps upon reps upon reps."
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas earlier predicted that Maxey would likely be a lottery pick.
"Could be as high as 10 or 11. Could be in the 14 range (or) 15," Bilas said. "Because of his quickness, his ability to attack in transition. He is a good ball-handler and good shooter."
