By now, you probably know that John Wall is the latest Sports Illustrated cover boy. If you don’t, the cover is to the right, with an overplayed headline.

All that to the side, it was only a matter of time before UK’s best player and top superstar would land on the cover of the premier sports magazine in the country. SI writer Grant Wahl, who writes the cover story, has been covering UK extensively lately. The cover also officially puts UK back to the forefront in my eyes.

But here’s an interesting idea — does landing on the cover of SI doom the Cats?

Everyone knows of the NFL video game, Madden, and it’s cover jinx. Well, Sports Illustrated has its own. In fact, years ago, the magazine even addressed the idea with a black cat on the front of one of the magazine’s covers.

So does that make John Wall, who has experienced cramping problems over a few games, jinxed? Should UK fans be worried that injury, a bad game or anything else is now fate for John Wall?

Now, whether or not you believe the cover jinx, could be the reason for your level of concern. Michael Jordan’s career never really tanked despite being on a load of SI covers. Vince Young was on two SI covers at Texas, but has had a rough NFL career up until recently.

And the cover jinx has struck hard in college football, according to this Andy Staples article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/andy_staples/09/25/olemiss.carolina.jinx/

Maybe it’s not Wall who is jinxed, but the team as a whole. Currently undefeated, could some other team injury or mess up cause the first loss or a series of losses?

I’m not sure whether or not I believe in the SI cover jinx. You’ll have to find out for yourself what you believe. But if I lived and breathed UK basketball, I would have two things running through my mind right now:

First, the Cats are back, and this cover should be the first of many things that prove the fallen King of Basketball is back on the throne.

Secondly, I’d be researching and figuring out how real — and effective — the SI cover jinx is. If it is indeed true, someone should tweet to UK head coach John Calipari. Tell him to take it easy on Wall.

Because no one cheering the Cats on wants to see what basketball is like without the Great Wall.

And a stinking magazine cover would be a terrible trade-off for such an incident.