The NBA Released Its List of Early Candidates For This Summer’s Draft

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With another college hoops season in the books, there’s a legion of young basketball stars all hoping they can take their talents to the next level and get drafted into the NBA. There’s 182 of them, to be exact. On Tuesday, the league released its list of all the early entry candidates who have declared for the Draft, which takes place on June 22.

There’s plenty of familiar names here who got tons of exposure during the recent NCAA Tournament, but the real thrill is in browsing through the list and wondering which of these unknown talents will someday become a household name. You can see the full list over Draft Express. Here are some of the highlights:


Malik Monk – Kentucky (Freshman)
Theo Pinson – North Carolina (Junior)
Ivan Rabb – California (Sophomore)
Dennis Smith Jr. – North Carolina State (Freshman)
Jayson Tatum – Duke (Freshman)
Melo Trimble – Maryland (Junior)
Lonzo Ball – UCLA (Freshman)
Isaiah Briscoe – Kentucky (Sophomore)
Tyler Dorsey – Oregon (Sophomore)
Markelle Fultz – Washington (Freshman)
Josh Jackson – Kansas (Freshman)
Justin Jackson – North Carolina (Junior)
TJ Leaf – UCLA (Freshman)
Luke Kennard – Duke (Sophomore)
Antonio Blakeney – LSU (Sophomore)
Jordan Bell – Oregon (Junior)
Dillon Brooks – Oregon (Junior)
Bennie Boatwright – USC (Sophomore)
Harry Giles – Duke (Freshman)

Sunday was the last day for players to submit their entry to the league in order to be eligible for the Draft, and they can still withdraw their names until June 12; however, if they want to maintain their college eligibility, they have to withdraw no later than May 24.

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