Former Kentucky star Reed Sheppard drops emotional message after 2024 NBA Draft decision: "Not the city out of the man"

Reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year Reed Sheppard broke Kentucky fans' hearts with the announcement of his departure to the NBA via the draft.

After his declaration, the Kentucky folk hero dropped an emotional message on Instagram, celebrating his hometown.

"You take the man out of the city, not the city out the man," Sheppard wrote Sunday.

How Mark Pope tried to recruit Reed Sheppard to Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats had a period of uncertainty after longtime coach John Calipari abruptly departed the program to take the Arkansas Razorbacks job, leaving a lot of student-athletes recruited by him in limbo.

One of those was hometown hero, Reed Sheppard, the son of former Kentucky legends, Jeff and Stacey Sheppard. The Wildcats appointed former captain Mark Pope, who won a national championship with them in 1996.

Pope had another advantage in his quest to keep Kentucky's best player. He had been friends and roommates with Reed's father, Jeff Sheppard, along with winning a title with him.

During his introduction to Kentucky fans, Pope played to the gallery and finished his remarks by saying, "Our job as coaches is we get to become shepherds," deliberately playing on the guard's last name to elicit a reaction from the crowd.

The fans immediately started shouting for Reed Sheppard to stay one more year, with the charm offensive by the new coach going well.

Jeff Sheppard, who was enthusiastic about the appointment of Pope, gave an anecdote about the shared ties between his son and the new Kentucky coach, highlighting how difficult a decision it was going to be for the guard.

"Mark is the first college coach to recruit Reed. He recruited him when he was 7-years-old," Sheppard said. "Mark was coming through town, he was coaching at Georgia at the time. He stopped in, mainly just to hang out with the family. And he sat down, and said, 'Okay, Reed, I am going to be the first coach to be recruiting you.'

"Pope's been recruiting Reed since he was 7-years-old. We'll see what kind of recruiter he is and whether he can get him on board or not."

Reed Sheppard has been projected as high as the No. 4 pick in the upcoming NBA draft by CBS Sports, and with this draft class termed one of the weakest by fans and analysts, it could be his best chance to be a lottery pick.

Ultimately, Reed Sheppard chose to go pro and depart Kentucky, but the decision about his future was a close-run thing, per 247 Sports.