Reed Sheppard realizes his dream: selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA draft | Sports

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Reed Sheppard’s dream came true Wednesday when he was selected as the third overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The former North Laurel High School and University of Kentucky basketball player is known for his exceptional shooting ability and won SEC Freshman of the Year during his time at Kentucky.

In his lone season with the Wildcats, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He had an impressive 53.6 shooting percentage from the field and 52.1 percent from beyond the arc. Sheppard demonstrated his defensive skills by averaging nearly a block and 2.5 steals per game.

“It was amazing,” Sheppard said of being drafted as the third pick. “It was a dream come true. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was little. 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 also an awesome thing to celebrate. I’m super happy to be here and super grateful.

“I’m super excited (to start),” he added. “They have really good things in Houston. The coach is really good. They have a group of guys who are very young and athletic, and we will be able to play fast. It’s gonna be fun. I’m super excited to get out and learn and figure everything out, so I can’t wait. I think the most important thing is just to go out there and learn. You have guys like Fred VanVleet that I can learn from. You just have to go in with an open mind, ready to learn, ready to do whatever it takes to win. Just compete, go out there, have fun, keep going to the gym and work on whatever I need to work on. I’m super excited. I can’t wait to get to Houston and get started.

During an interview with the media on Tuesday, Sheppard expressed his excitement and gratitude for the NBA Draft experience.

“It’s 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. It’s something you dreamed of when you were a little kid.

Sheppard becomes just the 23rd player who attended a Kentucky high school to be drafted in the first round.

The last player from the state 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 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 top-four pick in each of the last four drafts, choosing Jalen Green second in 2021, Jabari Smith Jr. third in 2022, Amen Thompson fourth in 2023 and Sheppard third in 2024. Before 2021, the last pick Among Houston’s top four was Yao Ming (1st pick) in 2002.