Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe Before NBA Draft: I See Myself as 1 of Basketball’s GOATs

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Five days away from the 2022 NBA draft, Shaedon Sharpe certainly isn’t lacking confidence.

Speaking to reporters Saturday, Sharpe said he sees himself “as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball.”

That level of belief in himself has clearly served Sharpe well in his life thus far. The 19-year-old is expected to be one of the first players selected in the draft Thursday.

B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman has Sharpe projected to be selected No. 8 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in his latest mock draft but noted he could potentially go in the top four.

“If a surprise name can shake up the top four, we’re hearing it is Sharpe. There is some buzz about a team in the top four showing extra interest, though it is difficult to picture him going that high, considering general managers are evaluating Sharpe on 2021 AAU tape and workouts,” Wasserman wrote.

Sharpe is one of the great mysteries of this year’s draft because he hasn’t played in an official game since he was in high school.

The Canada native was one of the top college recruits for 2022, but he reclassified and enrolled at Kentucky in January for the spring semester. He didn’t appear in a game for the Wildcats and declared for the draft in April.

Given how long it has been since Sharpe has tested himself against high-level competition in actual games, declaring himself to be one of the best players in the history of the sport is a bold move.