2026 NBA Draft Declarations Tracker: Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr., More

Several prominent college basketball players, including Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and Baylor guard Tounde Yessoufou, formally declared their intentions to enter the 2026 NBA Draft on April 10, 2026, initiating the annual process where top collegiate athletes pursue professional careers. The declarations, tracked and reported by various sources, mark the official start of the draft cycle for that year, with players meeting the league's eligibility requirements and signaling their availability to NBA franchises. The list of early declarants, while not exhaustive, highlights a significant trend among this particular class: a substantial number of players are simultaneously entering the NCAA transfer portal to maintain their college eligibility. This dual-track strategy, employed by athletes like Kansas forward Flory Bidunga, Kentucky guard Malachi Moreno, and Wisconsin guard John Blackwell, provides a crucial safety net. By entering the portal, these players can explore other collegiate programs if their draft stock does not develop as hoped or if they choose to withdraw their names before the NBA's early entry deadline, preserving their option to return to school for further development. This year's initial group features talent from a wide array of major conferences, including the Big Ten (Michigan State, Wisconsin), Big 12 (Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas), ACC (Louisville, North Carolina, Wake Forest), and SEC (Alabama, Kentucky). The declarations represent the first formal step in a months-long evaluation process involving NBA team workouts, the draft combine, and individual assessments. For programs like Michigan State and Kansas, losing key players like Fears Jr. and Bidunga to the draft process underscores the constant roster turnover in modern college basketball, driven by the pursuit of professional opportunities. The coming weeks will reveal which of these declarants remain fully committed to the draft and which opt to leverage their portal entry for a new collegiate chapter.