NBA announces fewest early entrants for draft in more than 2 decades ...Middle East

The NIL era is continuing to have a massive impact on college basketball.

The latest example was made clear on Monday as the NBA officially released a list of 71 early entrants into the 2026 NBA Draft. As noted by draft expert Jonathan Givony below, that’s down from 106 last year and drastically lower from a peak of 363 in 2021.

Givony also reports that this is the lowest total of early-entrants since 2003. Until 2006, high school prospects were still permitted to go directly to the NBA and skip college basketball entirely.

The NIL era is flipping the NBA Draft on its head.Only 71 players entered the 2026 NBA Draft, per the NBA. Down from 106 last year and a peak of 363 in 2021.That's the lowest early-entrant total since 2003.College basketball stars are staying in school, overwhelmingly. pic.twitter.com/sGoHkBuVU5

Proven college basketball players are set to earn significantly more money by staying in college than if they had been drafted in the 2nd round or signed as an undrafted free agent. In some cases, such as Florida‘s Thomas Haugh, players who likely would have been 1st-round picks have opted to return to college basketball rather than begin their professional careers.

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Of the 71 early-entrants, many of those players could still end up returning to college basketball in 2026-27 if they take steps to maintain their collegiate eligibility. Arkansas forward Billy Richmond is among the early-entrants who is testing the draft waters but could end up back in college basketball next year.

Here is the full list of early entrants into the 2026 NBA Draft:

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that 71 players have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2026, which will be held Tuesday, June 23 (First Round) and Wednesday June 24 (Second Round) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. pic.twitter.com/GfV338yqsz

The draft will be held from June 23-24 in Brooklyn. Here are the current odds on Kalshi for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft:

NBA announces fewest early entrants for draft in more than 2 decades Saturday Down South.

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