Kentucky Wildcats fans got some good news this week when Oscar Tshiebwe announced that he is returning to play his senior year at the University of Kentucky.
Tshiebwe was Kentucky’s first-ever unanimous player of the year, winning every single award with that title for the 2021-22 season.
Tshiebwe will return for the Wildcats and make roughly $2 million through name, image, and likeness deals, according to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.
The 22-year-old is the first reigning National Player of the Year to return to school since 2008. He and the Wildcats will look to finish things off right in 2023 after his squad was shocked in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Saint Peter’s.
Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and a national-best 15.1 rebounds for the Wildcats. He also led the country for the regular season with 28 double-doubles and had a 28-rebound game this season.
According to a news release by UK Athletics, Tshiebwe is “the first Division I player who averaged at least 15.0 points and at least 15.0 rebounds per game since Drake’s Lewis Lloyd and Alcorn State’s Larry Smith each did during the 1979-80 season.”