Tounde Yessoufou Pulls Out of 2026 NBA Draft, Commits to St. John’s
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Guard/forward Tounde Yessoufou has removed his name from the 2026 NBA draft, his agency told ESPN’s Shams Charania just ahead of Wednesday night’s NCAA withdrawal deadline.
The former Baylor standout will transfer to St. John’s and suit up for head coach Rick Pitino in the 2026-27 season, the agency confirmed.
Yessoufou, 20, started all 34 games as a freshman at Baylor. The 6-foot-5 wing averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.6 assists in 32.6 minutes per contest, shooting 46.5% from the field and 74.6% at the free-throw line while hitting 29.3% of his three-point attempts.
Draft projections had placed the Cameroon native near the end of the first round: Bleacher Report slotted him at No. 28, Yahoo Sports at No. 31 and ESPN at No. 34. Another collegiate season could solidify his status as a first-round prospect in 2027.
Yessoufou was among the last notable college underclassmen to decide before the deadline. Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas, ranked No. 25 on ESPN’s big board, had not publicly announced his plans when the cutoff passed.
The NBA is expected to release an updated list of draft entrants soon. The league’s separate withdrawal date for international prospects is June 13.
Source: Hoops Rumors
