Tyrese Haliburton takes shots at former Kentucky player over John Calipari’s commitment to Arkansas originally appeared on The Sporting News Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Kentucky Wildcats have a long history of sending players to the NBA. But after Mark Pope’s team ended its NCAA tournament run with a loss to Iowa State on Sunday, one Cyclones player took to poking fun at those former Wildcats.
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Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who played at Iowa State from 2018-20, shared a post on social media that offered light-hearted criticism of all the former Kentucky players who are now pros.
Haliburton joked that most of the NBA’s Kentucky alumni are now committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks, with longtime Wildcats head coach John Calipari now at the helm.
Here’s Haliburton’s post that went viral in Kentucky after Iowa’s March Madness win.
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Tyrese Haliburton takes shot at former Kentucky player
Haliburton is known for his active X-Account, especially over the past year as he has been recovering from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Earlier in March Madness, Haliburton made it clear he would be releasing information about the game with a message to college basketball fans: “Make a bracket and stand on it.”
Haliburton continued his March Madness commentary as he led second-seeded Iowa to an easy win over Kentucky on Sunday.
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He joked that he texted “guys who played at Kentucky” about Iowa State’s 82-63 win but “forgot they thought they were Arkansas alumni now,” a dig at players who remained loyal to Calipari on the Wildcats.
Famous NBA players from Kentucky
Here are some of the top players in the NBA at the University of Kentucky:
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
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Julius Randle, Timberwolves
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Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
More: What’s next for Kentucky after Mark Pope’s loss to Iowa State?
When did John Calipari leave Kentucky?
Calipari leaves Kentucky in April 2024. He coached the Wildcats for 15 years, but after an upset loss to Oakland in the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament, Calipari decided to step down and took a head coaching job at Arkansas shortly after.
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From 2009-24, Calipari racked up 410 wins, one NCAA championship and three Final Four appearances at Kentucky.
More: Track 2026 March Madness Records by Conference