No matter where he goes Oscar Tshiebwe has impact on fans

Anywhere he goes, fans want to meet Oscar Tshiebwe.

So what is life like for Oscar Tshiebwe?

Obviously, in Kentucky he’s a folk hero. Anywhere he goes, fans know him and most want an autograph and/or picture — and he normally accommodates as many fans as he can.

But what about outside Kentucky?

He recently went to Los Angeles to receive one of his six national player of the year awards. He thought he would be at “peace” and could get away from questions about his basketball future.

He was wrong.

“As soon as I landed at the airport, (it was) ‘Oscar!!’ everywhere,” he said.  “C’mon man. This is not Kentucky.”

“I tried to go to the water (ocean) and people would not leave me alone. They were asking me if I was coming back (to UK for another year),” he said. “It was not just Kentucky fans. Duke fans, North Carolina fans, everybody just wanted to know if I am coming back.”

Kentucky coach John Calipari was in Los Angeles with Tshiebwe for the awards ceremony.

“In LA, he gave his talk, there were ladies crying. He’s just so authentic. His faith, as a teammate, who he is, what he stands for, it’s just authentic,” Calipari said. “And I know the people are loving him.”

How could you not love him?

In the 2021-22 season, Tshiebwe had numbers that had not been matched in decades at UK or nationally. Yet he was not projected as a first-round NBA draft pick, the big reason he’ll be back at UK for another season.

“I dominated college basketball,” Tshiebwe said. “I don’t worry about that. I am good either way because I trust in God. God is going to take care of me. No matter what I do, I’ll be great.”

“People are excited and I am very excited to run it back. I am very excited to see what God has prepared for us.”