Jodie Meeks was on a golf course in Florida when he received a call. A voice on the other end of the line informed Meeks he was part of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame’s 2024 class.
“I had to (tell the other people I was playing golf with that day), ‘Hey, give me a couple holes. I gotta soak in this really quick,'” Meeks said prior to the induction ceremony Friday night. “But it was nice, man.”
A star guard for Kentucky basketball for three seasons (2006-09), Meeks was one of six inductees in this year’s Hall of Fame class. The other members included Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (women’s track and field; 2016-18), John Cropp (administration and coach; 1991-2013), Henrik Larsen (rifle; 2018), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (women’s track and field; 2018) and Corey Peters (football; 2006-09).
“It feels great. It’s honestly a surreal moment,” Meeks said. “When I got the call, I didn’t even know how to feel. Excitement, to say the least. I’m glad to be sharing it with my family and friends.”
Meeks was a consensus second-team All-American selection in 2009.
He’s best remembered for his 54-point outburst against Tennessee on Jan. 13, 2009. His 54 points remain UK’s single-game record. He surpassed Dan Issel’s mark of 53, which had stood since 1970.
Meeks also set another single-game school record that night in Knoxville, Tennessee: most 3-pointers made by a Wildcat in a single outing. He knocked down 10 in the 90-72 victory over the Vols.
Despite the boatload of NBA players from UK in the years after Meeks left Lexington, none have been able to top him; Malik Monk is the closest since, pouring in 47 points versus North Carolina in 2016.
“Well, it’s hard to do it when there’s a lot of talented people on one team, because everybody kind of eats,” he said. “But I was fortunate enough to (be) on a night where everybody else was ‘off,’ so to speak. It was a close game, so I wasn’t really thinking about the record — I didn’t even know what the record was. … It was just a perfect storm for me. So thankful to the good Lord upstairs.”
More than 15 years later, Meeks is still asked about that epic performance “all the time,” he said.
“It could be L.A. (Los Angeles), overseas — people tell me how old they were at the time,” he said. “Former Cats come ask. So it was a great moment.”
Yet there are other games every bit as memorable in his mind.
“My coming-out party, in my opinion, was the Louisville game my freshman year,” he said. “I hadn’t really played consistently yet, but coach (Tubby Smith) trusted me in that type of environment.
“I had 18 (points) and I really feel like from that point forward, I didn’t look back. I started getting consistent minutes.”
Then there was a matchup against Arkansas his final season, when he scored 45 points on 17-for-24 shooting from the field, including 7 of 12 beyond the arc, highlighting a 79-63 Wildcats’ win in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
“I was like, ‘I might be leaving school (after this season)’,” he said. “It was only February, but I really felt like that was the time.”
In addition to his All-American honors in 2009, Meeks also was a first-team All-SEC pick that season. His 854 points during the 2008-09 campaign are the second most in a season in the Wildcats’ annals, trailing only Issel’s 948 in 1969-70.
Upon his departure from Lexington, Meeks ranked among Kentucky’s top all-time players in numerous game, single-season and career statistical departments.
He’s 35th on UK’s all-time points list (1,246) and tied for eighth in 3-point field goals made (177). He scored 30-plus points seven times, tied for seventh most among Kentucky players. Meeks also set the program’s single-season mark for 3-pointers made, knocking down 117 in 2008-09. And among UK players with at least 100 free-throw attempts, Meeks is tied for second (alongside Kyle Macy) at 89%.
Meeks went on to play 10 seasons in the NBA, averaging 9.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while suiting up for seven different teams (the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors).
Once his playing career ended, he shifted over to coaching. He’s spent the past two seasons in the NBA G League, working as an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron.
“The coaching aspect, it’s fun,” he said. “I still get a chance to get out there and play. Just can’t play as long anymore, man. My body won’t hold up, but it’s fun.”
He’s settling into a new position now, though.
He’ll be an assistant with the New Orleans Pelicans next season, where he’ll work with another former star scorer from Kentucky, Antonio Reeves, a second-round pick of the team in this year’s NBA draft.
When Meeks first entered the coaching profession, he admits he wasn’t sure how he would take to it. He was forced to hang up his sneakers during the coronavirus pandemic and decided to retire.
He doesn’t regret it.
“When I got the call to try to go to the G League and see what happens, I was excited about it,” Meeks said. “Stay around the game, get a chance to get on the floor with guys? It kind of just blossomed. (It’s been) a new challenge for me.”