Reed Sheppard

 

Isaiah Reed Sheppard (born June 24, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg), Sheppard plays point guard and shooting guard. He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being selected by the Rockets with the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Sheppard was named SEC Freshman of the Year and national Freshman of the Year by both the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 2024.

 

Early Life 

Family

 

Sheppard was born in London, Kentucky, the son of former Kentucky Wildcats basketball players Jeff Sheppard and Stacey (née Reed) Sheppard. His father, Jeff, was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1998 NCAA Tournament after leading Kentucky to the national championship, and later played for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. His mother, Stacey, also played basketball at Kentucky. Reed grew up immersed in Kentucky basketball culture and committed to following in his parents’ footsteps.

High School Career

 

Sheppard attended North Laurel High School in London, Kentucky, where he became one of the state’s most decorated players. He became the starting shooting guard as a freshman and averaged 20.6 points per game. As a sophomore, Sheppard led Kentucky in scoring, averaging 30.1 points per game in 28 games. As a junior, he was named Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 25.5 points, 7.6 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.4 steals per game. He finished his high school career ranked top-three all-time in Kentucky history in points (3,727), assists (1,214), and rebounds (1,050). Sheppard was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game and was rated as a consensus four-star recruit.

 

College Career

 

Sheppard enrolled at the University of Kentucky in June 2023 and was assigned jersey number 15, his father’s number. In his freshman season (2023-24), Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game in 33 games, starting only five. He led the nation in three-point shooting percentage at 52.1%, making 75-of-144 attempts from beyond the arc. He made seven three-pointers in a single game twice during the season. His 148 assists ranked eighth-most by a Kentucky freshman in program history, while his 82 steals were the second-most in program history (since 1979), trailing only Rajon Rondo’s 87.

 

Sheppard was named SEC Freshman of the Year by conference coaches and national Freshman of the Year by both USBWA and NABC. On April 18, 2024, he declared for the NBA Draft.

 

NBA Career

 

The Houston Rockets selected Sheppard with the third overall pick on June 26, 2024. He signed a two-year, $20.7 million contract in July 2024. The Rockets exercised his $11.11 million team option for 2026-27 in October 2025, and his contract includes a $14.04 million team option for 2027-28.

 

Through the 2025-26 season (as of February 10, 2026), Sheppard is averaging 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 42.5% from the field.

 

References

 

External Links

* Reed Sheppard on NBA.com

* Reed Sheppard on Basketball-Reference.com