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When the 2024-25 NCAA basketball season came to a close, the focus shifted to the NBA Draft process, as many of college basketball's biggest stars are gearing up to take their games to the next level.
The 2025 NBA Draft will be an exciting one, as the class is headlined by Duke freshman Cooper Flagg in addition to Rutgers' freshman duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.
It's no surprise to see underclassmen dominate NBA Draft discussions, but they must formally forgo their remaining years of college eligibility to declare for the draft. That list of candidates was finalized on Tuesday, April 29.
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Early entrants had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 26, to declare for the NBA Draft, meaning the weeks following the college season were complete with announcements from prominent names. Not all who declare will stay in the draft, as they have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 28, to return to school and maintain eligibility.
With those parameters in mind, here is an up-to-date look at notable early entrants for this year's NBA Draft.
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NBA Draft early entry tracker 2025
Below is the full list of confirmed early entrants for the 2025 NBA Draft, complete with their classification and rank on The Sporting News' pre-March Madness NBA Draft Big Board.
| Name | School/Club | Class | SN Rank |
| Cooper Flagg | Duke | Fr. | 1 |
| Dylan Harper | Rutgers | Fr. | 2 |
| Tre Johnson | Texas | Fr. | 3 |
| Ace Bailey | Rutgers | Fr. | 4 |
| VJ Edgecombe | Baylor | Fr. | 5 |
| Khaman Maluach | Duke | Fr. | 6 |
| Kasparas Jakucionis | Illinois | Fr. | 7 |
| Kon Knueppel | Duke | Fr. | 8 |
| Jeremiah Fears | Oklahoma | Fr. | 9 |
| Collin Murray-Boyles | South Carolina | So. | 10 |
| Derik Queen | Maryland | Fr. | 11 |
| Noa Essengue | Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) | – | 12 |
| Nolan Traoré | Saint-Quentin (France) | – | 13 |
| Asa Newell | Georgia | Fr. | 14 |
| Jase Richardson | Michigan State | Fr. | 15 |
| Liam McNeeley | UConn | Fr. | 16 |
| Egor Demin | BYU (Russia) | Fr. | 17 |
| Ben Saraf | Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) | – | 18 |
| Hugo Gonzalez | Real Madrid (Spain) | – | 19 |
| Carter Bryant | Arizona | Fr. | 20 |
| Thomas Sorber | Georgetown | Fr. | 21 |
| Joan Beringer | Cedevita (Slovenia) | – | 22 |
| Adou Thiero | Arkansas | Jr. | 23 |
| Rasheer Fleming | St. Joseph's | Jr. | 24 |
| Danny Wolf | Michigan | Jr. | 26 |
| Will Riley | Illinois | Fr. | 28 |
| Boogie Fland | Arkansas | Fr. | 29 |
| Drake Powell | North Carolina | Fr. | 30 |
| Michael Ruzic | Joventut (Spain) | — | 32 |
| Noah Penda | Le Mans Sarthe (France) | — | 34 |
| Miles Byrd | San Diego State | So. | 35 |
| Alex Condon | Florida | So. | 38 |
| Dink Pate | Mexico City Capitanes (G League) | — | 42 |
| Rocco Zikarsky | Brisbane Bullets (Australia) | — | 43 |
| Tyrese Proctor | Duke | Jr. | 44 |
| Yaxel Lendeborg* | UAB | Sr. | 46 |
| Darrion Williams* | Texas Tech | Jr. | 47 |
| Alex Toohey | Sydney Kings (Australia) | — | 48 |
| Labaron Philon | Alabama | Fr. | 49 |
| Keyshawn Hall* | UCF | Jr. | — |
| RJ Luis Jr.* | St. John's | Jr. | — |
| Nick Martinelli | Northwestern | Jr. | — |
| Tahaad Pettiford | Auburn | Fr. | — |
* - Also in the transfer portal.
Lendeborg entered the NCAA transfer portal in addition to declaring for the NBA Draft. He has one year of college eligibility remaining and has committed to spend the 2025-26 season at the University of Michigan, should he return to school.
Hall entered the portal as well and announced a commitment to Auburn if he returns to school.
Pettiford was not on the pre-March Madness Big Board but did help his draft stock during the tournament. He could be a riser during the draft process.
MORE NBA DRAFT NEWS:
- Pre-March Madness NBA Mock Draft
- Walter Clayton Jr. scouting report
- Cooper Flagg scouting report
- Derik Queen scouting report
Is Cooper Flagg returning to Duke?
Flagg has officially declared for the NBA Draft, he and Duke announced on Apr. 21. With the expectation that he will be the 2025 No. 1 pick, he's set to leave the Blue Devils behind after one season.
During the NCAA Tournament, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said, "I think [Flagg's] got to take the next dream in his life and be the top pick in the NBA Draft and start his professional career," when asked about Flagg returning to school for a second season.
"I think he's got to take the next dream in his life, and be the top pick in the NBA Draft and start his professional career."
– Duke HC Jon Scheyer on not having a conversation with Cooper Flagg about returning for his sophomore year. pic.twitter.com/mz3pV5977p
All signs pointed toward Flagg declaring for the NBA Draft before the deadline, and now he has, officially taking his talents to the next level.
NBA Draft 2025 key dates
- Saturday, April 26: Deadline for early entrants to declare for NBA Draft (11:59 p.m. ET)
- Friday, May 9-Sunday, May 11: NBA G League Combine
- Sunday, May 11-Sunday, May 18: NBA Draft Combine
- Monday, May 12: 2025 NBA Draft Lottery
- Wednesday, May 28: NCAA deadline for early entrants to withdraw from NBA Draft (11:59 p.m. ET)
- Sunday, June 15: NBA deadline for early entrants to withdraw from NBA Draft (11:59 p.m. ET)
- Wednesday, June 25: NBA Draft first round
- Thursday, June 26: NBA Draft second round
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