Antonio Reeves

Antonio Reeves (born November 20, 2000) is an American basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Illinois State Redbirds and the Kentucky Wildcats.

High school career
After a prep career at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix and Simeon Career Academy in his hometown Chicago, Reeves committed to Illinois State over offers from several other mid-major programs.

Illinois State
Reeves was a key contributor for his first two seasons, earning a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) all-bench team as a sophomore. He declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but ultimately chose to return to the Redbirds for his junior season. In the 2021–22 season, Reeves averaged a career high 20.1 points per game And was named second-team All-MVC, however the team was not successful and coach Dan Muller was fired. With the coaching change, Reeves decided to transfer to a winning program.

Kentucky
Reeves ultimately chose Kentucky and coach John Calipari. As a senior, he mostly came off the bench for the Wildcats and ranked second on the team in scoring behind All-American Oscar Tshiebwe at 14.4 points per game. At the close of the season, Reeves was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) co-Sixth Man of the Year. He again tested the NBA draft waters and considered another transfer, but ultimately chose to return to Kentucky for a fifth year granted to players whose eligibility was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Entering his fifth year, Reeves was named preseason second-team All-SEC. As the season wore in, Reeves emerged as a key player for the Wildcats and senior presence for their talented recruiting class. In January 2024, he was named to the 25-man Wooden Award midseason watch list in recognition of his performance, along with teammate Reed Sheppard.

New Orleans Pelicans (2024–present)
On June 27, 2024, Reeves was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2024 NBA Draft, however, immediately on draft night, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for two second-round pick swaps in 2030 and 2031.