HC John Calipari beams with pride as he witnesses his ex-players Anthony Davis and co. create on-court magic during USA vs. Canada matchup

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari is known for his elite recruitment acumen and for producing NBA-ready players throughout his college basketball career. He has done that mostly during his tenure as coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Among the most notable products he has coached are Lakers star Anthony Davis and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. Both have established themselves as elite NBA players.

On Tuesday, several players who had played under the charismatic coach participated in the Team USA vs. Canada warmup game before the 2024 Paris Olympics. They were Bam Adebayo, Jamal Murray, Trey Lyles, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Davis and Booker.

Calipari attended the game and celebrated the feat on X afterward.

"I was at the USA vs. Canada game last night. Six of our guys in the game. SGA. Jamal Murray. Trey Lyles. Bam. Anthony Davis. Devin Booker. Proud of all of them. Was hoping to have all six on the floor at one time. Now I’m on to Phoenix!" Calipari tweeted.

John Calipari departing Kentucky surprised ex-player

John Calipari was the coach to play for if a recruit wanted to get drafted, and no one can argue with his record over the years. Kentucky has the most active former players in the NBA because of the Arkansas coach.

However, his March Madness record in his later years in Lexington started to slip. It culminated in an 80-76 first-round loss to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies last season, but his player pipeline stayed largely intact.

Former Calipari-era players Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham and Antonio Reeves were picked as No. 60, 61 and 62, respectively, In the 2024 NBA Draft. They were the last batch of Kentucky players.

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker had starred for Calipari at Kentucky. He expressed surprise at the coach's departure from Lexington during an interview with "The Spun."

“100 percent,” Devin Booker said. “I never thought I'd see the day. Some people asked me during the season as if they knew it was coming, but I just kept thinking that I couldn’t see him leaving Lexington. It’s strange, man."

"It’s something that I didn’t expect, but I hope it’s a great situation for him and his family. I saw Arkansas posted a picture of him on campus. It’s a different dynamic seeing him in red, but I wish the best for him.”

The move to depart Lexington surprised everyone, including Calipari's former players. However, as he has shown with his recent recruitment trips, it won't be long before he builds more NBA-ready players.