The Kentucky Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top male high school basketball player in the state of Kentucky. The Kentucky Mr. Basketball award is the third oldest such award in the nation, being first awarded in 1954; only Indiana Mr. Basketball and California Mr. Basketball, which were first awarded in 1939 and 1950 respectively, predate it. The award is presented annually by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.
The winner of the Mr. Basketball award wears #1 on his jersey in the summer all-star series against the Indiana High School All-Stars. 1940 was the inaugural year for the Kentucky/Indiana High School All-Star Series; in that year, the Indiana All-Stars defeated the Kentucky All-Stars 31–29.
Award winners YearPlayerHigh SchoolCollegeNBA Draft1954Vernon HattonLafayetteKentucky1958 NBA draft: 2nd round, 10th overall by the Cincinnati Royals1955Kenny KuhnMale1956Kelly ColemanWaylandKentucky Wesleyan1960 NBA draft: 2nd round, 11th overall by the New York Knicks1957Billy Ray LickertLafayetteKentucky1961 NBA draft: 5th round, 45th overall by the L.A. Lakers1958 (tie)Ralph RichardsonRussell CountyEastern Kentucky1958 (tie)Harry ToddEarlingtonWestern Kentucky1959Pat DoyleNorth MarshallKentucky1960Jeff MullinsLafayetteDuke1964 NBA draft: 1st round, 5th overall by the St. Louis Hawks1961Randy EmbryOwensboroKentucky1962Mike SillimanSt. XavierArmy1966 NBA draft: 8th round, 69th overall by the New York Knicks1963Mike R. ReddSenecaKentucky Wesleyan1964Wes UnseldSenecaLouisville1968 NBA draft: 1st round, 2nd overall by the Baltimore Bullets1965Butch BeardBreckinridge CountyLouisville1969 NBA draft: 1st round, 10th overall by the Atlanta Hawks1966Mike CaseyShelby CountyKentucky1967Jim McDanielsAllen CountyWestern Kentucky1971 NBA draft: 2nd round, 23rd overall by the Seattle SuperSonics1968Terry DavisShelby CountyWestern Kentucky1969Ron KingCentralFlorida State1970Robert BrooksMadisonEastern Kentucky1971Jimmy Dan ConnerAnderson CountyKentucky1975 NBA draft: 2nd round, 36th overall by the Phoenix Suns1972Jerry ThrustonOwensboroMercer1973Wesley CoxMaleLouisville1977 NBA draft: 1st round, 18th overall by the Golden State Warriors1974Jack GivensBryan StationKentucky1978 NBA draft: 1st round, 16th overall by the Atlanta Hawks1975Dom FucciTates CreekAuburn1976Darrell GriffithMaleLouisville1980 NBA draft: 1st round, 2nd overall by the Utah Jazz1977Jeff LampBallardVirginia1981 NBA draft: 1st round, 15th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers1978Doug SchloemerHolmesCincinnati1979Dirk MinniefieldLafayetteKentucky1983 NBA draft: 2nd round, 33rd overall by the Dallas Mavericks1980Ervin SteppPhelpsEastern KentuckyAlice Lloyd College1981Phil CoxCawoodVanderbilt1982Todd MayVirgieKentuckyPikeville1987 NBA draft: 4th round, 73rd overall by the San Antonio Spurs1983Winston BennettMaleKentucky1988 NBA draft: 3rd round, 64th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers1984Steve MillerHenry ClayWestern Kentucky1985Tony KimbroSenecaLouisville1986Rex ChapmanApolloKentucky1988 NBA draft: 1st round, 8th overall by the Charlotte Hornets1987John PelphreyPaintsvilleKentucky1988Richie FarmerClay CountyKentucky1989Allan HoustonBallardTennessee1993 NBA draft: 1st round, 11th overall by the Detroit Pistons1990Dwayne MortonLouisville CentralLouisville1994 NBA draft: 2nd round, 45th overall by the Golden State Warriors1991Jermaine BrownFairdaleGeorgetown (KY)1992Tick RogersHart CountyLouisville1993Jason OsborneMaleLouisville1994Elton ScottMarion CountyWest Virginia1995Charles ThomasHarlanEastern Kentucky1996Daymeon FishbackGreenwoodAuburn1997Brandon DavenportOwensboroMorehead State1998J. R. VanHoosePaintsvilleMarshall1999Rick JonesScott County VanderbiltMurray State2000Scott HundleyScott County Vanderbilt2001Josh CarrierBowling GreenKentucky2002Brandon StocktonGlasgowKentucky2003Ross NeltnerHighlandsLSUVanderbilt2004Chris LoftonMason CountyTennessee2005Domonic TilfordJeffersontownSouth Alabama2006Walt AllenSouth LaurelPresbyterian2007Steffphon PettigrewElizabethtownWestern Kentucky2008Darius MillerMason CountyKentucky2012 NBA draft: 2nd round, 46th overall by the New Orleans Hornets2009Jon Hood Madisonville North Hopkins Kentucky2010Elisha JusticeShelby ValleyLouisvillePikeville2011Anthony HickeyChristian CountyLSUOklahoma State2012Nathan DieudonneTrinityBoston University2013Dominique HawkinsMadison CentralKentucky2014Quentin SniderBallardLouisville2015Camron JusticeKnott County CentralVanderbiltIUPUIWestern Kentucky2016Carson WilliamsOwen CountyNorthern KentuckyWestern Kentucky2017Taveion HollingsworthDunbarWestern Kentucky2018Trevon FaulknerMercer CountyNorthern Kentucky2019Dontaie AllenPendleton CountyKentuckyWestern Kentucky2020Dayvion McKnightMartha Layne CollinsWestern Kentucky2021Ben JohnsonLexington CatholicBellarmine2022Turner ButtryBowling GreenEastern Kentucky2023Reed SheppardNorth LaurelKentucky2024 NBA draft: 1st round, 3rd overall by the Houston Rockets2024Travis PerryLyon CountyKentucky2025Malachi MorenoGreat CrossingKentucky2026Jake FeldhausMadison CentralSouth Florida
Schools with multiple winners SchoolNumber of AwardsYearsMale51955, 1973, 1976, 1983, 1993Lafayette41954, 1957, 1960, 1979Ballard31977, 1989, 2014Owensboro31961, 1972, 1997Seneca31963, 1964, 1985Shelby Valley21982, 2010Mason County22004, 2008Bowling Green22001, 2022Scott County21999, 2000Paintsville21987, 1998Shelby County21966, 1968Madison Central22013, 2026 Reflects awards won by schools that have since been consolidated.
Colleges with multiple winners CollegeNumber of AwardsYearsKentucky221954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1974, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025Louisville101964, 1965, 1973, 1976, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2010, 2014Western Kentucky91958, 1967, 1968, 1984, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020Vanderbilt51981, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2015Eastern Kentucky51958, 1970, 1980, 1995, 2022Northern Kentucky22016, 2018LSU22003, 2011Pikeville21982, 2010Tennessee21989, 2004Auburn21975, 1996Kentucky Wesleyan21956, 1963
See also Kentucky Miss Basketball Mr. Football Award (Kentucky)
References