10 James Blackmon

James Blackmon was born James Kennedy Blackmon on August 7, 1964, in Grena, Mississippi, and was raised in Marion, Indiana. His extraordinary scoring ability appeared early. As a seventh-grader, he scored 63 points in a junior-high game and was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.” Blackmon also played quarterback in football and shortstop and pitcher in baseball before concentrating exclusively on basketball after the ninth grade.

At Marion High School, Blackmon became one of Indiana’s most celebrated guards. A two-time All-State selection, he averaged 32.6 points as a senior, scored 52 in the afternoon session of the Indiana state finals and finished with a school- and county-record 1,897 career points. He earned McDonald’s, Parade, Scholastic Coach and USA Today All-America recognition and finished as the runner-up to Steve Alford for Indiana Mr. Basketball. After narrowing his college choices to Kentucky and Louisville, he selected the Wildcats. Blackmon and future UK teammate Kenny Walker also won gold medals with the United States at the 1983 FIBA Junior World Championship.

Blackmon appeared in all 34 games as a freshman as Kentucky advanced to the 1984 Final Four. His two steals helped ignite the Wildcats’ 65-44 rout of Louisville in the first regular-season “Dream Game,” and he scored a team-high 14 points against Indiana while making three pressure free throws in the closing seconds of a 59-54 victory. His most dramatic freshman moment came at Illinois on December 24, 1983. Inserted with eight seconds remaining in a tie game, Blackmon drove into the lane and banked in a shot over two defenders at the buzzer to give Kentucky a 56-54 victory.

The transition from prolific high school scorer to complementary college guard proved difficult. Blackmon felt confined by the structured offense and heavy use of zone defense during Joe B. Hall’s final two seasons. In December 1984, frustrated with his role, he packed his belongings and returned home to Marion before coming back to Lexington the following day. Assistant coach Leonard Hamilton and teammate Winston Bennett helped persuade him to return, and Blackmon later acknowledged that he probably would have transferred had Hall not retired after the season.

Despite those frustrations, Blackmon produced several important performances as a sophomore. After missing much of the preseason with a calcium deposit in his knee, he came off the bench in the opener against Toledo and took control late. Blackmon made all seven of his second-half shots and finished with a then-career-high 17 points, three assists and three rebounds as Kentucky erased a 12-point halftime deficit and won 63-54.

Eddie Sutton’s arrival before the 1985-86 season transformed Blackmon’s role and outlook. Sutton introduced a motion offense and man-to-man defense that allowed him to run, slash, pressure passing lanes and use his exceptional jumping ability. Although listed as a guard, Blackmon often defended larger players and contributed as a rebounder. He started all 36 games as a junior, improved his shooting to 48.8 percent and averaged 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds while adding 77 assists and 49 steals.

His renewed confidence showed in several notable victories. Blackmon made nine of 11 shots and scored 18 points as Kentucky overwhelmed Alabama, 76-52, in January 1986. He scored 22 in a 73-65 victory over Vanderbilt and matched that total at Alabama in another important Southeastern Conference win.

As Kentucky’s lone senior starter in 1986-87, Blackmon accepted greater responsibility for steadying a young, injury-depleted team. He helped the Wildcats deliver one of the rivalry’s most decisive results on December 27, 1986, when Kentucky routed defending national champion Louisville, 85-51, at Freedom Hall. The 34-point margin represented the Cardinals’ worst defeat in three decades and gave Blackmon a third victory in four seasons against UK’s in-state rival.

Blackmon also provided leadership during Kentucky’s uneven conference season. He scored 18 points against Mississippi State and emphasized that winning mattered more than individual totals. Four days later, on February 4, 1987, he delivered his signature performance against 20th-ranked Auburn. Playing with renewed confidence, Blackmon scored a career-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including five three-pointers, while adding four rebounds, two assists and key defensive pressure in a 75-71 victory.

Blackmon completed his Kentucky career with 866 points, 314 rebounds, 271 assists and 149 steals. A three-year starter, he served as co-captain and was selected as the Wildcats’ Outstanding Senior in 1986-87. His career encompassed a Final Four, dramatic game-winning moments, personal adversity and an eventual transformation from a frustrated scorer into a versatile, complete guard and respected leader.

The New Jersey Nets selected Blackmon with the 94th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. After appearing in four exhibition games, he was waived and later played one season in the Continental Basketball Association. Blackmon then returned to Indiana and built a distinguished high school coaching career, guiding teams to four state championship games and winning titles at Bishop Luers and his alma mater, Marion. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.