After spending two seasons in Lexington, Otega Oweh has found his NBA home. During the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, Oweh was selected 41st overall on Day 2. He’ll now team up with former Kentucky Wildcats Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace for one of the NBA’s top championship contenders.
Heading into the draft, most projections had Oweh going either very late in Round 2 or going undrafted, so this landing spot is not a huge surprise.
The former 4-star recruit committed to Oklahoma out
of high school before making his way over to Kentucky. Also a 4-star transfer, he committed to Mark Pope shortly after his hire. Oweh was Kentucky’s best player in back-to-back seasons, and he increased his production year over year every season in college.
After averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore, Oweh exploded as a junior. In his first season in Lexington, Otegatron averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting 49.2% from the field. OO’s ascension to stardom was surprising as he slowly went from Kentucky’s most consistent player to its best player in short form.
Oweh flirted with the NBA Draft but ultimately decided to return to Kentucky for his senior season. However, an offseason turf toe injury slowed him down at the beginning of the season, as he ended up missing 10 weeks of offseason work. But once he got going, Oweh was nearly unstoppable in SEC play and beyond.
During his senior campaign, OO averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per contest while shooting 33.3% from 3-point range (hit 35.5% as a junior and 34.7% for his career). His efficiency dropped slightly, but he was far and away UK’s best and most (only?) reliably consistent option.
In what was a largely disappointing season for the Cats, Oweh showed up far more often than not. Of course, he received his fair share of criticism at times, but you couldn’t ask for any more from the senior guard. He gave it his all in two straight seasons at Kentucky, and now his time has come to a close.
Oweh’s half-court shot to tie the game against Santa Clara in the First Round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament will play in Rupp Arena for years to come. He will be fondly remembered by the Big Blue faithful, and now, he gets to team up with a pair of former Cats while competing for an NBA title!
