Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA Draft and committed to St. John's University, according to multiple media reports.
The decision came at the midnight deadline on May 28, 2026, when Yessoufou officially pulled his name from the draft pool.
>>> Munetaka Murakami Hits 20th Home Run, Ties for AL Lead
The California native had tested the draft waters while simultaneously entering the NCAA transfer portal with a do-not-contact tag.
Initial reports from Joe Tipton of On3 indicated that UCLA gained early momentum to land the forward if he returned to college basketball.
Rick Pitino Secures Top Transfer
St. John's head coach Rick Pitino successfully secured the commitment of the top-10 transfer, who is widely projected as a potential lottery pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.
Prior to this commitment, mainstream mock drafts frequently positioned Yessoufou as a first-round selection, leading many to believe he would remain in the professional draft pool.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound athlete originally entered the collegiate scene as a five-star recruit in the high school class of 2025, with the University of Kentucky strongly pursuing him at the time.
>>> Rockies Break Up Dodgers' Combined No-Hit Bid in Eighth Inning
During the past season, Yessoufou maintained per-game averages of 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, while recording a 46.5% field goal percentage and a 29.3% success rate from beyond the three-point arc.
The acquisition positions St. John's to potentially secure a top-10 national ranking ahead of the 2026-27 collegiate season.
While transfer portal attention within the Kentucky basketball fanbase heavily focused on Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Yessoufou quietly remained one of the premier available players in the portal market.
In a related roster movement, Momcilovic also withdrew his name from the NBA Draft but has yet to announce his final school choice.
>>> Nyara Sabally Scores Career-High 29 as Toronto Tempo Beat Chicago Sky
The arrival of Yessoufou at St. John's likely removes the program from contention for Momcilovic, directly impacting the remaining recruitment options for Kentucky.
