BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Reed Sheppard’s dream became a reality on Wednesday when he was selected as the No. 3 overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The former North Laurel High School and University of Kentucky basketball standout is known for his exceptional shooting ability and earned the title of SEC Freshman of the Year during his time at Kentucky.
In his only season with the Wildcats, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He had an impressive shooting percentage of 53.6 from the field and 52.1 percent from beyond the arc. Sheppard showcased his defensive skills by averaging close to a block and 2.5 steals per game.
“It was unbelievable,” Sheppard said of being drafted as the third pick. “It was a dream come true. It’s something that I’ve been dreaming of since I’ve been a little kid. Having my family with me at the table, my coach, my agent, having my family in the crowd, I couldn’t ask for anything else. It was my mom’s birthday today, so that’s an awesome thing to celebrate as well. I’m at a loss for words. I’m super-happy to be here and super thankful.
“I’m super-excited (to get started),” he added. “They have a really good thing going in Houston. The coach is really good. They have a bunch of really young, athletic guys, and we’ll be able to play fast. It’s going to be fun.
I’m super-excited to get out there and learn and take it all in, so I can’t wait. I think the biggest thing is just going in and learning. You have guys like Fred VanVleet that I’ll be able to learn from. Just going in with an open mind, ready to learn, ready to do whatever it takes to win. Just compete and go in and have fun and continue to get in the gym and work on everything that I need to work on. I’m super-excited. I can’t wait to get to Houston and get the thing started.”
During an interview with the media on Tuesday, Sheppard expressed his excitement and gratitude for the NBA Draft experience.
“This is unbelievable, unbelievable. I’m super-excited to be here, I can’t believe it. Going through this, everything, has been so much fun. having my family with me and my friends, being at the combine, being at the draft. This is something you dream of when you were a little kid.”
Sheppard becomes just the 23rd player who attended high school in Kentucky to get drafted in the first round.
The last in-state player to be drafted before Sheppard was former Central star D’Angelo Russell, who was selected No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015.
The Houston Rockets have picked third overall in the NBA Draft for the third time.
With the No. 3 pick, the Rockets selected Rodney McCray in 1983 and Jabari Smith Jr. in 2022.
The Rockets have made a selection in the top four in each of the last four drafts, picking Jalen Green second in 2021, Jabari Smith Jr. third in 2022, Amen Thompson fourth in 2023 and Sheppard third in 2024. Prior to 2021, Houston’s last top-four pick was Yao Ming (No. 1 pick) in 2002.
