Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis, both standout big men during their college careers at Kentucky, have been selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team, as announced by the league on Tuesday.

Adebayo, often praised as one of the league’s premier defenders, earns first team honors for the first time in the 2023-24 season, having previously been recognized on the second team for the past four seasons. Davis, on the other hand, secures his spot on the first team for the third time in his NBA career and marks his fifth overall selection to the NBA All-Defense team.

In the 71 regular season games he played for the Miami Heat this season, Adebayo achieved a career-high average of 10.4 rebounds, including 8.1 on the defensive end. He also recorded a total of 81 steals (1.1 per game) and 66 blocks (0.9 per game).

Adebayo, known for his two-way prowess, finished the regular season with an average of 19.3 points per game on 52.1 percent shooting, along with 3.9 assists per contest. He earned his third NBA All-Star appearance in his seven-year career and led the Heat to their fifth consecutive playoff appearance.

Consistently considered among the league’s top defensive players, Adebayo has consistently ranked in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting over the past five seasons, achieving a career-best third place finish in 2023–24.

During his one season with the Wildcats, Adebayo was the only player to start all 38 games for the 2016-17 squad, which won the Southeastern Conference Tournament and reached the Elite Eight. He received honors as an All-SEC Second Team member and All-SEC Freshman Team member, averaging 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game before being selected as the 14th overall pick by the Heat in the 2017 NBA draft.

Joining Adebayo as a member of the NBA All-Defensive Team is Davis, now in his 12th NBA season. The Los Angeles Lakers’ center ranked third in the league in total rebounds per game (12.6) and second in defensive rebounds per game (9.5) in the 2023-24 season, both career highs. Davis also finished fourth in the league in both total blocks (178) and blocks per game (2.3), while averaging 1.2 steals per game.

Davis also made significant contributions on the offensive end this season, scoring 24.7 points per game, the 15th highest average in the NBA, while shooting 55.6% from the field.

Throughout his illustrious NBA career, Davis has earned nine NBA All-Star selections, been named to the All-NBA First Team four times (2015, 2017, 2018, 2020), won an NBA Championship in 2020, and was named the MVP of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. As a key player on the 2012 national championship team at Kentucky, Davis was honored as the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and National Player of the Year, starting all 40 games for UK that season. He led the team in points per game (14.2) and rebounds per game (10.4) while setting the program’s single-season blocks record with 186 blocks. Davis was selected as the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Kentucky men’s basketball alumni continue to make a significant impact on the NBA landscape. In the 2023-24 season, UK led the nation for the 12th consecutive year with 26 former student-athletes on NBA opening day rosters, and also had the most representatives in the NBA Playoffs with 22 players. At the 2024 NBA All-Star game, the Wildcats made history with a record-breaking seven players earning All-Star nods.

The 2023-24 NBA season has been a successful one for the Wildcats, with Adebayo and Davis earning spots on the All-Defensive Team, Karl-Anthony Towns receiving the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, Tyrese Maxey being named the KIA NBA Most Improved Player and winning the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award, and Cason Wallace being selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.