$39 million worth Devin Booker makes his thoughts clear on John Calipari's 'unexpected' move to Arkansas: "It's strange man"
Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is one of several NBA stars who was nurtured by coach John Calipari at Kentucky and who became a huge success professionally.
During an interview with "The Spun", the $39 million worth Booker (as per Celebrity Net Worth) revealed that he was surprised to see Calipari leave Kentucky for Arkansas,
“100 percent,” Devin Booker said. “I never thought I'd see the day. Some people asked me during the season as if they knew it was coming, but I just kept thinking that I couldn’t see him leaving Lexington. It’s strange, man. It’s something that I didn’t expect, but I hope it’s a great situation for him and his family. I saw Arkansas posted a picture of him on campus. It’s a different dynamic seeing him in red, but I wish the best for him.”
John Calipari has an incredible streak
John Calipari was known as one of the most elite recruiters in college basketball during his tenure as coach of the Kentucky Wildcats and he recruited the No. 1 class in the country before his departure last year.
Over the years, Calipari has also produced a steady pipeline of players into the NBA, during the season former Kentucky players topped the list of the program with the most players currently active in the league.
These players are distributed over 15 different teams with the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Sacramento Kings having the most ex-Kentucky players with three each.
Some of the players produced by John Calipari in the league include Anthony Davis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De'Aaron Fox, and Jamal Murray.
Calipari has been accused of not extracting the most from some of the best recruits in the country. He ended his tenure in Lexington with a demoralizing 80-76 first-round loss to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies during the Big Dance.
During a recent episode of "Night Cap", sports analyst Shannon Sharpe accused John Calipari of underperforming as a Kentucky coach winning just one national championship despite the elite talent at his disposal,
"Think about all the number one draft picks. He had John Wall and Boogie Cousins and didn't win nothing. He had Karl Anthony Towns, Shae Gilgeous Alexander, he had Devin Booker," Sharpe said. "He had all those guys and do you know what he had to show for it? One national championship. He had 35 first-round draft picks, Tyler Herro and one title!"
One of Calipari's biggest selling points to Arkansas was his elite recruitment streak and Razorbacks fans will hope that it translates to their program.