The NCAA has tabbed July 7 as the withdrawal date for the 2021 NBA draft, according to CBS Sports’s Jon Rothstein.
Any player who previously declared for the draft will have to announce their decision to return to school by July 7, 10 days after the completion of the draft combine, if they don’t wish to turn pro. The 2021 NBA draft is currently slated to be held on July 29.
The top of the 2021 draft is expected to feature a number of underclassmen from the 2020-21 college season. Former Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham is the favorite to be selected with the No. 1 pick after a stellar freshman season at Oklahoma State, while fellow freshmen Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs are also expected to be top-five picks.
A freshman has been selected with the No. 1 pick in each of the last 14 seasons. The last upperclassman to be selected No. 1 was Kenyon Martin out of Cincinnati in 2000.
More College Basketball Coverage:
• SI’s Way-Too-Early Men’s Top 25 for 2021–22
• Holmgren Commit Marks a Gonzaga Inflection Point
• NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Top 80 Prospect Rankings
