[VIDEO] Kentucky freshman Malachi Moreno drills half-court shot to win Kobe 8 'Venice Beach' sneakers for Wildcats teammates 

Kentucky freshman Malachi Moreno's name is starting to gain some buzz among the Big Blue Nation. During a recent summer scrimmage, Moreno and his Wildcats teammates were playing a game for a pair of Kobe 8 “Venice Beach” shoes.

As the game stood deadlocked at 12 apiece and only a few seconds remaining on the clock, Moreno chucked the ball from beyond half-court and nailed the shot, winning the unreleased sneakers for his team.

Kentucky men's basketball posted a clip of the buzzer-beater on X/Twitter, and it has garnered over 160,000 views since.

"Today's scrimmage had a little extra on the line ... and you HAVE to see how it ended," the caption read.

The video started with coach Mark Pope showing off the prize: a pair of Kobe 8 Venice Beach and announcing that the winning team would get the exclusive shoes.

Malachi Moreno, a four-star recruit from Great Crossing High School, grabbed the rebound with just seconds left and unleashed a prayer. The ball took a high arc before falling through the net as time expired and after a review, the basket counted, setting off a wild celebration. The Blue Team won 15-12 against the White Team.

The scene then cut to the Kentucky locker room, where the winning team is shown receiving the Kobe 8s.

Malachi Moreno shares his excitement after winning Kobe 8 sneakers

Malachi Moreno arrived in Durham with one goal in mind — to win. While the 7-foot-1 center is eager to do that with the Kentucky Wildcats this fall, he got an early start by leading his team to victory in a scrimmage on Tuesday.

"Just for that shot, baby," Moreno said to the camera after his team won the sneakers. "We got the win today, so we got the early 'Venice Beach' Kobe Eights, and this is what winners get. So, be a winner."

Moreno, a Kentucky native, is one of four freshman recruits in the 2025 class, joining Jasper Johnson, Braydon Hawthorne and Andrija Jelavic.

Mark Pope, who is entering his second year in Lexington, also brought in six transfers from the portal this offseason — including Jaland Lowe and Kam Williams — and is hoping to improve on last season's 24-12 record.