The NBA released its final list of early entrants for the 2026 draft on Saturday, confirming that 31 players have opted to stay in the field for next week’s event, scheduled for June 23–24.
Serbian center Pavle Backo was the last prospect to withdraw before the league’s June 13 deadline, joining fellow international players Francesco Ferrari and Luigi Suigo on the exit list. In all, 41 players removed their names, leaving the 31 who will keep their draft eligibility intact.
College underclassmen staying in the draft (26)
Darius Acuff, Arkansas (G, freshman)
Nate Ament, Tennessee (F, freshman)
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech (G, sophomore)
Cameron Boozer, Duke (F, freshman)
Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville (G, freshman)
Brayden Burries, Arizona (G, freshman)
Cameron Carr, Baylor (G, junior)
Chris Cenac, Houston (F/C, freshman)
AJ Dybantsa, BYU (F, freshman)
Isaiah Evans, Duke (G/F, sophomore)
Kingston Flemings, Houston (G, freshman)
Allen Graves, Santa Clara (F, freshman)
Morez Johnson, Michigan (F/C, sophomore)
Aday Mara, Michigan (C, junior)
Ebuka Okorie, Stanford (G, freshman)
Koa Peat, Arizona (F, freshman)
Darryn Peterson, Kansas (G, freshman)
Labaron Philon, Alabama (G, sophomore)
Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky (F/C, sophomore)
Hannes Steinbach, Washington (F, freshman)
Dailyn Swain, Texas (G/F, junior)
Meleek Thomas, Arkansas (G, freshman)
Bryson Tucker, Washington (F, sophomore)
Henri Veesaar, North Carolina (C, junior)
Keaton Wagler, Illinois (G, freshman)
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina (F, freshman)
International players staying in the draft (5)
Mohammad Amini, France (G/F, born 2005)
Sergio De Larrea, Spain (G, born 2005)
Vsevolod Ishchenko, Russia (G, born 2005)
Jack Kayil, Germany (G, born 2006)
Karim Lopez, Australia (F, born 2007)
The pool of early entrants has shrunk sharply in recent cycles. In 2022, 283 players declared and 149 remained; by 2025, the numbers fell to 109 and 46. This year’s totals dropped again to 72 declarations and 31 remainers. The decline reflects both the expiration of extra COVID-19 eligibility for seniors and the growing appeal of NIL compensation, which has encouraged many athletes to stay in college.
The league’s final list is now set ahead of the two-day draft, and Hoops Rumors’ tracker has been updated to include all remaining candidates and the 41 withdrawals.
Source: Hoops Rumors
