As we’re approaching mid-July in Kentucky, The Basketball Tournament is set to return to Kentucky and the rest of the country. A fan-favorite for many in the Lexington area, a chance to see Kentucky alumni return back to their alma mater is one they don’t like to pass up.

For the 2026 season, the La Familia team (Kentucky’s alumni team) has brought in a half-dozen former Wildcats to suit up for Big Blue Nation once again. 

As we’ve seen over the last three seasons, the Kentucky alumni pool being brought back has decreased each year, but the fans have still turned out. 

In 2024, 9 of their 10 roster spots spent their collegiate careers in Lexington. In 2025, on 8 of the 11 had. This year, only 6 of the 10 wore the Kentucky blue.

It originally would have been seven total Wildcats, but Reid Travis reportedly will not suit up for La Familia this summer as the news was made public just a day before flying back to the state.

“Unfortunately, we found out just 24 hours before Reid Travis was scheduled to fly to Lexington for The Basketball Tournament that he could no longer compete. We had our first practice Monday and are confident in the group we have. We’re excited to compete in TBT,” said the official La Familia social media team account.

This now becomes the second time he’s had to reverse his commitment to the program, having committed to play in 2024 as well.

Reid Travis hasn’t made a comment publicly about it at this time.

I can say for myself that I know that each one of these players has to get their deal worked out between their agent and TBT before being able to play, if they are currently still playing professional basketball. One would think that they would have everything worked out before verbally committing to play in the event this summer, but that seems to have not been the case. With a 24-hour notice, he will not be coming because he can “no longer compete”, eligibility wise.

Not that he’s hurt. Not that he doesn’t want to. Something has come up on the technicality side of things preventing him from being able to play.

UPDATE on 07/15: According to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, it looks like Reid Travis has reportedly hurt his back, which is what’s preventing him from participating.

I hate that this is the case because I think Reid would have been great on this team, just as he was great for his one season on the 2018-19 Kentucky team.

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