Credit to: ukathletics.com
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Denzel Aberdeen, (pronounced AB-err-dean) who has played three seasons at Florida, has committed to the Kentucky men’s basketball program for the 2025-26 season, as announced by head coach Mark Pope on Tuesday.
“Denzel is a winner, in every sense of the word.” Pope said. “He has won at every level of basketball and that’s all that he talks about. Zel is a great young man who works for everything he earns. He’s a three-level scorer and a rangy defender who has tremendous length.”
A staple for the Gators the past three seasons, including serving as the sixth man of the 2025 National Championship team, Aberdeen has seen action in 83 career games and averaged 5.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. As a junior, the Orlando native logged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 41.8% from the field, 35.0% from distance and 70.8% from the free-throw line.
Aberdeen appeared in all 39 games for the Gators in 2024-25 and made five starts. In those starts, he averaged 14.4 points and shot 41.4% from 3-point range (12 for 29). He also charted a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. In his first career start, he produced 13 points while playing a career-high 35 minutes without committing a turnover against Vanderbilt. In Florida’s upset at No. 1 Auburn, Aberdeen had 10 points, and he poured in a team-high 20 points in the win at No. 22 Mississippi State. He followed those performances with a career-high 22-point outing vs. South Carolina.
During Florida’s NCAA Tournament run, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 6.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game. He connected on 50.0% of his field goals and 40.0% of his 3-pointers. Aberdeen played a key role with 12 points, including a pair of 3s, in the come-from-behind win over Maryland.
As a sophomore, he appeared in 32 games and his best outing came in a 20-point performance vs. Texas A&M in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals. He went 4 of 5 from distance and helped Florida overcome an 18-point deficit.
Aberdeen appeared in 12 games as a freshman out of Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando. He was twice tabbed a Florida Associated of Basketball Coaches All-State selection and was picked to the first team as a senior and the second team following his junior campaign. Aberdeen guided Dr. Phillips to its first ever state championship in 2021, scoring 27 points. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a senior.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
