Kentucky Mr. Basketball
Honor awarded to high school basketball players
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kentucky Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top male high school basketball player in the state of Kentucky. The Kentucky Mr. Basketball award is the third oldest such award in the nation, being first awarded in 1954; only Indiana Mr. Basketball and California Mr. Basketball, which were first awarded in 1939 and 1950 respectively, predate it. The award is presented annually by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.[1][2]
The winner of the Mr. Basketball award wears #1 on his jersey in the summer all-star series against the Indiana High School All-Stars. 1940 was the inaugural year for the Kentucky/Indiana High School All-Star Series; in that year, the Indiana All-Stars defeated the Kentucky All-Stars 31–29.
Award winners
- Consolidated into Allen Central High School, which in turn was consolidated into today's Floyd Central High School.
- Consolidated into South Hopkins and West Hopkins High Schools, which in turn were consolidated into Hopkins County Central High School.
- Consolidated into Marshall County High School.
- Consolidated into Allen County Scottsville High School.
- Closed in 1989; its former attendance zone is now served by Madison Central High School.
- Located in Louisville; not to be confused with Ballard Memorial High School, which serves Ballard County in the far-west Purchase.
- Consolidated into Harlan County High School.
- Consolidated into Shelby Valley High School.
- Operated by the Harlan city school district and distinct from Harlan County High School, which is operated by the Harlan County school district.
Schools with multiple winners
| School | Number of Awards | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 5 | 1955, 1973, 1976, 1983, 1993 |
| Lafayette | 4 | 1954, 1957, 1960, 1979 |
| Ballard | 3 | 1977, 1989, 2014 |
| Owensboro | 3 | 1961, 1972, 1997 |
| Seneca | 3 | 1963, 1964, 1985 |
| Shelby Valley | 2 | 1982^, 2010 |
| Mason County | 2 | 2004, 2008 |
| Bowling Green | 2 | 2001, 2022 |
| Scott County | 2 | 1999, 2000 |
| Paintsville | 2 | 1987, 1998 |
| Shelby County | 2 | 1966, 1968 |
| Madison Central | 2 | 2013, 2026 |
^Reflects awards won by schools that have since been consolidated.
Colleges with multiple winners
| College | Number of Awards | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 22 | 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1974, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| Louisville | 10 | 1964, 1965, 1973, 1976, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2010, 2014 |
| Western Kentucky | 9 | 1958, 1967, 1968, 1984, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 |
| Vanderbilt | 5 | 1981, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2015 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 5 | 1958, 1970, 1980, 1995, 2022 |
| Northern Kentucky | 2 | 2016, 2018 |
| LSU | 2 | 2003, 2011 |
| Pikeville | 2 | 1982, 2010 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 1989, 2004 |
| Auburn | 2 | 1975, 1996 |
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 2 | 1956, 1963 |