Kidd-Gilchrist Headlines UK Athletics Hall of Fame Class
The short version
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist inducted into UK Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 25
- Starred on Kentucky's 2011-12 national championship team; drafted No. 2 overall in 2012
- Lifelong stutterer who found speech support at UK through pathologist Meg Shake
- Five other inductees: Calhoun, Duckworth, Edmond, Hedges-Ward and Seidt
The former Kentucky star, who stuttered growing up, was inducted Friday in Lexington and said he wants to be a role model for young people like him.
LEXINGTON — Former Kentucky basketball star Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 25, as part of a six-member 2026 class. Kidd-Gilchrist said his path to Kentucky and his time in Lexington were unlike most players' experiences, largely because of a stutter he has dealt with his entire life.
Growing up in New Jersey, Kidd-Gilchrist never received help for his stuttering. That changed at Kentucky, where speech language pathologist Meg Shake provided the support he needed. Ahead of his induction speech, he said Shake would receive the biggest shoutout of anyone he planned to thank.
Kidd-Gilchrist played one season for the Wildcats, in 2011-12, when Kentucky won the national championship — the program's most recent title. He earned consensus second-team All-America honors that season while averaging 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
After the championship run, Kidd-Gilchrist declared for the NBA draft and was selected No. 2 overall in 2012, one pick behind his Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis. He went on to play eight seasons in the NBA.
Throughout his professional career and beyond, Kidd-Gilchrist has been an outspoken advocate for people who stutter. Reflecting on his college years, he said he wanted to serve as a role model. "I want kids like me to feel appreciated," he said.
He was joined in the 2026 class by five other inductees: football's Paul Calhoun, men's track and field's Tim Duckworth, volleyball's Leah Edmond, women's basketball's Patty Jo Hedges-Ward and women's swimmer Asia Seidt.
Calhoun, a defensive back and punter from 1981-84, was named to the All-Time Kentucky Team in 1990 and left as the program's career leader in punting average. Duckworth won NCAA titles in both the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon in 2018, becoming only the second man to sweep both events in the same year.
Edmond was a four-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year who holds the school record for kills in the rally-scoring era, while Hedges-Ward remains Kentucky's all-time assists leader. Seidt was named the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year and collected 21 All-America honors during her swimming career.
Kidd-Gilchrist summed up his connection to the school simply: "I always felt really connected here."
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