The newly drafted Reed Sheppard and his girlfriend, Brailey Dizney, wasted no time showing support to his new NBA home Wednesday after the former Kentucky guard was selected No. 3 overall by the Rockets.
In a photo shared on social media, the couple — who has been together for more than three years — was seen wearing matching Rockets hats after the 2024 NBA Draft festivities at the Barclays Center.
Dizney joined Sheppard and his family for the big night, which also happened to be his mom, Stacey’s, birthday.
The group serenaded Stacey, a former member of Kentucky’s women’s basketball team, by singing “Happy Birthday” before she blew out the candle on her cupcake.
Shortly after the celebrations, the 20-year-old Sheppard heard his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
“I’m super excited,” Sheppard said, according to the Associated Press. “They have a really good thing going in Houston. Coach is really good. They have Jalen [Green]. They have a bunch of really young athletic guys and we’ll be able to play fast and it’s going to be fun.”
The Rockets, coached by Ime Udoka, finished the 2023-24 season at 41-41 and missed the playoffs.
Sheppard, who spent one season at Kentucky, is ready to soak it all in at the next level.
“The biggest thing is just going in and learning,” Sheppard said. “They have guys like Fred VanVleet that I’ll be able to learn from. Just going in with an open mind, ready to learn, ready to do whatever it takes to win and just compete.”
Named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2024, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists. The 6-foot-2 guard was also named Second-team All-SEC.
“We ended up with Reed as the best player in the draft by quite a bit, the best prospect we thought … and kind of the only guy we were really focused on,” Rockets GM Rafael Stone said. “So if he had not gotten to us, we would have probably traded down or out of the draft. When we had the opportunity to pick him, we jumped on it.”
