“How many retweets would it take for you to go to prom with me?”

These tweets from “regular” people to celebrities go viral on Twitter, often reaching the number of retweets that the celebrity requires.

Twitter did not work for one high school girl, but it turned out all she needed in order to have her dream date was a punny poster and a long wait in line.

South Oldham High School senior Kendall Brown asked De’Aaron Fox to prom at a stop on his autograph tour that began after he declared for the NBA draft.

After waiting in line to meet him she showed him a poster that read, “I’m De’Aaron you to go to prom with me.”

She then tweeted the video — in which she had to explain the pun to him — with the caption, “to all you non-believers.” Fox agreed to the date, if his schedule would allow him to come.

The ironic part of the situation is that a college freshman going to prom with a high school senior is not newsworthy. It’s even common. But Fox is not your ordinary college freshman.

He’s been a celebrity since the moment he accepted John Calipari’s invitation to become a part of the UK basketball team. His celebrity status grew with every fast break, every dunk and every game day. He’s months away from signing a contract that will bring him millions of dollars, and his transformation to celebrity will truly be complete.

Some say Calipari creates NBA players, others say he creates players who don’t quite live up to their potential. But what Calipari, along with the UK basketball program, truly creates are celebrities.

Why else do people camp out for days just for the chance to be in the same room as these players? Why else would people spend thousands of dollars to follow them around the country like groupies? Why else would a girl ask one of them to prom as if he’s a member of a boy band or the star of a movie?

Because Wildcats become celebrities. 

Hopefully Brown and her classmates are ready to dance alongside one of them.

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