Tounde Yessoufou will not remain in the 2026 NBA Draft after all. The former Baylor guard has withdrawn from the draft and committed to St. John’s, according to NBA insider Shams Charania, who reported Thursday that Yessoufou plans to play for Rick Pitino and the Red Storm.
Charania reported that Yessoufou, viewed as a potential first-round selection, made the decision to leave the draft process and continue his college career. His agency, THE TEAM, confirmed the move to ESPN.
The decision reshapes part of the 2026 draft picture less than a month before selections are scheduled for June 23 and 24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. While the top of the class continues to center around projected headliners such as AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson, Yessoufou had been considered one of the more intriguing prospects outside that group.
At Baylor during the 2025-26 season, the freshman guard started all 34 games and averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 32.6 minutes per contest. He shot 46.5 percent from the field and added 2.0 steals per game, showing the type of two-way activity that helped place him in first-round discussions.
Yessoufou’s offensive profile suggested upside, but also areas that could benefit from another college season. He made 29.3 percent of his three-point attempts while averaging 5.3 attempts per game, a number that NBA evaluators often monitor closely when projecting perimeter players to the professional level.
The timing stands out because the 2026 class is widely viewed as one of the stronger draft groups in recent years. The Washington Wizards own the No. 1 overall pick after winning the lottery, followed by the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls in the top four, while the Los Angeles Clippers control the fifth selection through Indiana.
