Tounde Yessoufou Stuns the 2026 NBA Draft by Withdrawing to Play for Rick Pitino at St. John’s
Right before the deadline, one of the more intriguing prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft pulled the plug on his pro dreams for one more year. Tounde Yessoufou withdrew from the draft and committed to play for Rick Pitino at St. John’s.
The decision came down to the wire. Yessoufou had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday to decide, and the news did not break until a little after midnight. When it did, it sent a jolt through both college basketball and the draft world.
This is a big swing for everyone involved, and it might be the smartest move the kid could have made.
The Numbers Behind the Decision
Yessoufou is a 6-foot-5 guard who put up serious production as a true freshman at Baylor. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, two steals, and 1.6 assists per game. ESPN had him projected to go 34th overall to the Sacramento Kings if he stayed in the draft.
That projection is the whole story. The 34th pick is the early second round, which means no guaranteed money and a long climb just to stick on a roster. For a player with that kind of talent, betting on himself for another year to climb into the first round is a defensible gamble.
Kentucky kept the door open for him, and UCLA was in the mix too. But Pitino and St. John’s won the recruiting battle, and that says a lot about what the Red Storm are building in New York.
Pitino Just Keeps Winning the Portal
Give Rick Pitino his credit. The man has turned St. John’s into a magnet for talent, and landing a player who was a projected draft pick is a serious coup. Pitino has rebuilt the Red Storm into a Big East power through aggressive recruiting and roster construction, and Yessoufou is the latest proof.
For Yessoufou, the fit makes sense. A year under Pitino, more shot creation responsibility, and a bigger national platform could push him from a second-round flier into a lottery conversation. Guards who can score 18 a game and defend tend to rise when scouts get a longer look.
The risk is obvious. Injuries happen, and draft stock can fall as fast as it rises. But Yessoufou clearly believes he is more than a second-round pick, and a season at St. John’s is his chance to prove it.
St. John’s just got a lot better, and the 2027 draft just got one more name to watch.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
