PIC: John Calipari reunites with former Kentucky standout Cason Wallace ahead of OKC vs Denver Game 2

Former Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari reconnected with one of his players from his tenure in Lexington: Cason Wallace. Calipari was in the Paycom Center on Wednesday to watch Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Wallace, who is currently playing for the Thunder, met up with his former college coach before the game. Their reunion was captured in a photograph that Calipari shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

"Got to see Cason before the OKC game tonight. Saw Shai and waiting on Jamal!!! Also got to see the two Razorbacks Isaiah and JWill!" Calipari wrote on X.

Wallace played a season under Coach Cal at Kentucky before declaring for the NBA. He was drafted 10th by his hometown Dallas Mavericks in the 2023 draft before being traded to the Thunder.

In the tweet, Calipari mentioned other former Wildcats he previously coached who were also playing in the series. He brought up Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the reigning NBA scoring champion and potential MVP, and Jamal Murray, who won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets two years ago.

At the end of the third quarter, Wallace scored eight points in 12 minutes of action for the Thunder, who look set to get the big win to tie the series at 1-1. Shai led OKC with 34 points and eight assists.

Three of John Calipari's Arkansas players receive invites to NBA Draft Combine

John Calipari's transition to Arkansas has already started paying dividends, with three Razorbacks receiving invitations to the NBA Draft Combine.

Freshman guard Boogie Fland, junior forward Adou Thiero and freshman forward Karter Knox will participate in the combine from May 11-18 in Chicago, hoping to become the latest of Calipari's players drafted into the NBA.

Thiero, who spent his first two seasons at Kentucky, followed Calipari to Fayetteville. He became the Razorbacks' top scorer last season, averaging 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game

Fland, a former McDonald's All-American, was the second-leading scorer for Arkansas last season behind Thiero, averaging 13.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 5.1 apg. While testing the NBA draft waters, Fland also entered the transfer portal.

John Calipari added two players from the portal as part of his second-year Arkansas roster build. Malique Ewin, a 6-foot-11 center from Florida State and Nick Pringle, another big man from South Carolina, committed to the Razorbacks.