The NBA has officially confirmed that 38 early entrants have withdrawn from the 2026 draft, with the majority set to return to college basketball.
Of the 38 players who withdrew, 35 had played college basketball last season and will be heading back to the NCAA for further competition.
College early entrants faced a Wednesday deadline to withdraw from the draft if they wished to preserve their NCAA eligibility for the upcoming season.
One notable name among the withdrawals was John Mobley Jr., who had previously stated his intention to return to Ohio State if he pulled out of the draft process.
Mobley Jr. was not on the NBA’s initial early entrant list, making his withdrawal a notable addition to the final confirmed group of players stepping back.
Among the 35 college underclassmen returning to the NCAA are freshmen, sophomores and juniors from programs including Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Florida and USC.
Notable names returning to college programs include Alijah Arenas at USC, Elliot Cadeau at Michigan, Jeremy Fears at Michigan State, and Andrej Stojakovic at Illinois.
Three international early entrants also withdrew from the draft: Bassala Bagayoko, who had been playing in Spain, Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada from France, and Alex Samodurov from Greece.
Following the college withdrawals, 26 college underclassmen are still expected to remain in the 2026 draft alongside eight international prospects who remain eligible to be selected.
The next significant date on the draft calendar is June 13, which serves as the NBA’s own withdrawal deadline for the eight remaining international early entrants to make their final decisions.
