Louisville basketball has three former players in the NBA right now, with Donovan Mitchell, of course, being the star. Mitchell enters his ninth season in the NBA and his fourth with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs superstar is a six-time NBA All-Star and holds the career points record in the NBA among all Louisville alums. He and the Cavs will tip off with the New York Knicks from Madison Square Garden this evening at 7 p.m. local time.
The other veteran in the NBA is Terry Rozier, who will enter his 11th season in the league. Rozier is currently on the Miami Heat and will go up against the Orlando Magic this evening at 7 p.m. local time.
Then there is the rookie and former Louisville fan favorite from last season, Chucky Hepburn. The All-ACC point guard will make his official NBA debut this evening, and the Cards fans are excited to tune in.
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Former Louisville basketball fan favorite makes NBA Debut
Hepburn went undrafted but was immediately signed by the Toronto Raptors after the 2025 NBA Draft concluded. The Wisconsin transfer played just one season with the Cardinals, but it was his best season in his collegiate career.
With the Cards, Hepburn quickly became a fan favorite as he was a dominant two-way superstar. The 6-foot-2 guard went on to win the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award after averaging 2.4 steals per game, earning five steals or more in five games, six steals in three games, and seven steals in one game.
He earned First-Team All-ACC after averaging 16.4 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.
He is now with the Raptors on a two-way contract, where he will play with both the Toronto Raptors and their G League-affiliated team, Raptors 905. Hepburn played in the Summer League for the Raptors, averaging just over 13 minutes per game off the bench, with 3.8 points, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 rebounds per game. He shot 22.7 percent from the floor and 23.5 percent from the 3-point line.
Despite his numbers, Hepburn turned heads in the Summer League as fans and experts were impressed with his ability to control the pace of the game, while being a dominant force on the defensive side. Now, Louisville and Raptors fans will tune in this evening to see his NBA debut with the Raptors.
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