$812,000 NIL-valued Shaqir O'Neal backs Kentucky guard Jordan Burks electrifying performance against Vanderbilt 

With the Kentucky Wildcats (16-6, 6-4) dealing with extensive injuries, forward Jordan Burks stepped up spectacularly to lead coach John Calipari's team to a 109-77 win against the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-16).

The forward tallied 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the absence of DJ Wagner and Tre Mitchell in his 15 minutes of action. He had played a combined 5 minutes of SEC play in his whole college basketball career before last night's game.

The $812,000 NIL-valued Texas Southern guard Shaqir O'Neal ( as per On3) backed Burks' electrifying performance reposting it on his Instagram account stories.

Enter caption

Jordan Burks plays the waiting game

Jordan Burks is part of one of the most talented Kentucky Wildcats teams of recent years and he has had difficulty taking the floor with others preferred by coach John Calipari.

At Hillcrest Prep during his final year, he averaged 27.1 points per game and was the team's go-to scorer, but he has found himself starting games from the bench in college football.

After not getting any minutes in the Wildcats' win against North Carolina in December, Calipari expressed his admiration for Jordan Burks and his demeanor after the game.

“The guy I worried about – and he was smiling after the game and I loved it – was Jordan Burks,” said Calipari. “I’ve been playing Jordan as a three, which he loves because he was playing four or five because we were shorthanded and that’s not who he is."

“But I said, ‘Stay with it, man. You’re going to get a chance and you’re going to bust through’. But I didn’t play him and he was fine,” Calipari said. “He smiled. I expect him to be a little bit upset because he’s a competitor who wants to play. But he was happy we won and it shows what he is.

He added:

“He almost broke his hand, his hand was swollen. He still practiced. Said, ‘Man, I’m practicing. I’m finally playing the three, I’m out here. He’ll get time with this group. He will.’”

During his postgame news conference after the game against Vanderbilt, coach John Calipari was full of praise for the rookie forward's performance.

“How about Jordan?” Calipari said. “I keep telling everybody about Jordan and look at him. And how about he waited his turn?”

With the Kentucky team stacked with talented prospects, Jordan Burks might find it difficult to get consistent minutes once the injured stars come back. However, he has now shown that when called upon, Burks can be a potent option for John Calipari.