Chris Livingston? Shaedon Sharpe? What ex-Cats did on opening day of NBA Summer League.

Two players from last season’s University of Kentucky men’s basketball team were drafted and two went undrafted last month.

Three of those players were scheduled to make their professional debuts this weekend in the NBA’s annual Summer League in Las Vegas, which got underway Friday.

The first to show his wares was one-and-done freshman Chris Livingston, who was the final selection of the two-round 2023 NBA Draft on June 22 by the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 58 overall.

Livingston started at forward for Milwaukee on Friday, wearing jersey No. 15, a change from the No. 24 he donned at Kentucky. He played 25 minutes, 59 seconds of the 40-minute contest and finished with seven points, six rebounds, one steal and three turnovers. He made three of four shots overall and one of two from three-point range. Livingston’s lone three-pointer was a key one, expanding a three-point Milwaukee lead to six with a minute to go in a 92-85 victory.

Livingston was joined on the Bucks’ Summer League roster by another player familiar to Kentucky fans. Drew Timme, an All-American at Gonzaga who led the Bulldogs to a victory over the Wildcats last season, scored seven points in 12 minutes in his Summer League debut for the Bucks. Julian Strawther, Timme’s teammate at Gonzaga, scored 15 points in his debut for the Nuggets on Friday.

Former Wildcats Cason Wallace and Oscar Tshiebwe were scheduled to make their Summer League debuts Saturday.

Wallace was drafted No. 10 overall in the first round by Dallas and traded to Oklahoma City. Tshiebwe was not drafted but later signed a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers.

Also eligible for this year’s draft was Jacob Toppin, who was not selected but signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the New York Knicks after the draft. Toppin will reportedly miss Summer League play because of a minor injury.

Other highlights

▪ Shaedon Sharpe, who missed almost all of Summer League as a rookie last year because of injury, led Portland with 21 points in a 100-99 loss to Houston that featured the debut of 2023 No. 3 overall draft choice Scoot Henderson of the Trail Blazers going against No. 4 pick Amen Thompson of the Rockets.

Sharpe, who spent a semester on Kentucky’s roster in 2021-22 but never played a game for the Wildcats, was the No. 7 pick in last year’s draft. Sharpe also had seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and three turnovers Friday night.

Houston won the game on a last-second three-point basket by former Auburn All-American Jabari Smith.

Henderson had 15 points, five rebounds and six assists in his Blazers debut before leaving in the third quarter with a right shoulder injury. Thompson had 16 points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals and four blocks for Houston before departing in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle. Smith led the Rockets with 33 points. Former LSU star Tari Eason had 20.

Former Northern Kentucky University standout Chris Brandon is also on Houston’s Summer League roster but did not play Friday.

▪ Markquis Nowell, the electric point guard who sparked Kansas State’s victory over Kentucky in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, produced 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Toronto Raptors in their 83-74 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Nowell made four of his six three-point attempts. Former University of Louisville and Trinity High School star David Johnson went scoreless in six minutes of action for Toronto.

▪ Former Kentucky forward Sacha Killeya-Jones had 10 points, three rebounds, a steal and a block in 12 minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 103-96 win over Golden State. Killeya-Jones, who played for UK from 2016 to 2018, spent last season in Spain’s top professional league.