NBA Announces Early Entry Candidates for 2026 NBA Draft
- Babcock Hoops
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The 2026 NBA Draft process has officially entered its next stage.
The NBA released its early-entry candidate list Monday, with 71 players filing for consideration in the 2026 NBA Draft. This year’s draft is scheduled for June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the first round taking place June 23 and the second round following June 24.
The early entry list features many of the top names in the class, including AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Nate Ament, Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr., Koa Peat, Jayden Quaintance, Karim Lopez, Sergio de Larrea, and Luigi Suigo.
While filing for early entry is an important step in the draft process, it does not necessarily mean every player on the list will remain in the draft. Players have until June 13 at 5 p.m. ETÂ to withdraw from NBA Draft consideration. College players hoping to preserve NCAA eligibility face an earlier deadline, as they must withdraw by May 27.
For many prospects, the next several weeks will be critical. The NBA Draft Combine, team interviews, medical evaluations, private workouts, NIL considerations, and transfer-related decisions will all play a role in shaping the final draft pool.
Babcock Hoops will continue to track the early-entry process, including key withdrawal decisions, prospect movement, and draft stock updates leading into June.
Key 2026 NBA Draft Dates
April 27:Â NBA announces early entry candidates
May 10:Â NBA Draft Lottery
May 10-17:Â NBA Draft Combine
May 27:Â NCAA early entry withdrawal deadline
June 13:Â NBA early entry withdrawal deadline
June 23:Â 2026 NBA Draft, First Round
June 24:Â 2026 NBA Draft, Second Round
Early Entry Candidates for the 2026 NBA Draft
The following college players were included on the NBA’s 2026 early entry candidate list, according to NBA Communications.
Player | School or Team | Height | Status |
Matt Able | North Carolina State | 6-6 | Freshman |
Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas | 6-3 | Freshman |
Amari Allen | Alabama | 6-8 | Freshman |
Nate Ament | Tennessee | 6-10 | Freshman |
Christian Anderson Jr. | Texas Tech | 6-3 | Sophomore |
Alijah Arenas | USC | 6-6 | Freshman |
Flory Bidunga | Kansas | 6-10 | Sophomore |
Finley Bizjack | Butler | 6-4 | Junior |
John Blackwell | Wisconsin | 6-4 | Junior |
Shane Blakeney | Drexel | 6-5 | Junior |
Anton Bonke | Charlotte | 7-2 | Junior |
Cameron Boozer | Duke | 6-9 | Freshman |
Mikel Brown Jr. | Louisville | 6-5 | Freshman |
Rowan Brumbaugh | Tulane | 6-4 | Junior |
Brayden Burries | Arizona | 6-4 | Freshman |
Elliot Cadeau | Michigan | 6-1 | Junior |
Cameron Carr | Baylor | 6-5 | Sophomore |
Chris Cenac Jr. | Houston | 6-11 | Freshman |
Rueben Chinyelu | Florida | 6-10 | Junior |
Jacob Cofie | USC | 6-10 | Sophomore |
Cruz Davis | Hofstra | 6-3 | Junior |
Kennard Davis Jr. | BYU | 6-6 | Junior |
Keanu Dawes | Utah | 6-9 | Junior |
AJ Dybantsa | BYU | 6-9 | Freshman |
Gabe Dynes | USC | 7-5 | Junior |
Eian Elmer | Miami (OH) | 6-6 | Junior |
Isaiah Evans | Duke | 6-6 | Sophomore |
Jeremy Fears Jr. | Michigan State | 6-2 | Sophomore |
Kingston Flemings | Houston | 6-4 | Freshman |
Colby Garland | San Jose State | 6-0 | Junior |
Allen Graves | Santa Clara | 6-9 | Freshman |
Juke Harris | Wake Forest | 6-7 | Sophomore |
Isiah Harwell | Houston | 6-6 | Freshman |
Lou Hutchinson | Alabama A&M | 6-7 | Junior |
Morez Johnson Jr. | Michigan | 6-9 | Sophomore |
Acaden Lewis | Villanova | 6-2 | Freshman |
Aday Mara | Michigan | 7-3 | Junior |
Milan Momcilovic | Iowa State | 6-8 | Junior |
Malachi Moreno | Kentucky | 7-0 | Freshman |
Paulius Murauskas | Saint Mary’s | 6-8 | Junior |
Ebuka Okorie | Stanford | 6-2 | Freshman |
Dennis Parker Jr. | Radford | 6-6 | Junior |
Koa Peat | Arizona | 6-8 | Freshman |
Darryn Peterson | Kansas | 6-6 | Freshman |
Labaron Philon Jr. | Alabama | 6-4 | Sophomore |
Jayden Quaintance | Kentucky | 6-10 | Sophomore |
Sebastian Rancik | Colorado | 6-11 | Sophomore |
Billy Richmond III | Arkansas | 6-6 | Sophomore |
Hannes Steinbach | Washington | 6-11 | Freshman |
Andrej Stojakovic | Illinois | 6-7 | Junior |
Dailyn Swain | Texas | 6-8 | Junior |
Tyler Tanner | Vanderbilt | 6-0 | Sophomore |
Meleek Thomas | Arkansas | 6-5 | Freshman |
Aiden Tobiason | Temple | 6-5 | Sophomore |
Bryson Tucker | Washington | 6-7 | Sophomore |
Henri Veesaar | North Carolina | 7-0 | Junior |
Keaton Wagler | Illinois | 6-6 | Freshman |
LeJuan Watts | Texas Tech | 6-6 | Junior |
Caleb Wilson | North Carolina | 6-10 | Freshman |
Tounde Yessoufou | Baylor | 6-5 | Freshman |
International Early Entry Candidates
The following international prospects were also included on the NBA’s early entry candidate list.
Player | Team/Country of Team | Height | DOB |
Mohammad Amini | Nancy (France) | 6-7 | 2005 |
Pavle Backo | Mega (Serbia) | 7-0 | 2007 |
Bassala Bagayoko | Bilbao (Spain) | 6-10 | 2006 |
Francesco Ferrari | Virtus Bologna (Italy) | 6-9 | 2005 |
Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada | Nancy (France) | 5-11 | 2006 |
Vsevolod Ishchenko | Lokomotiv (Russia) | 6-3 | 2005 |
Jack Kayil | Alba Berlin (Germany) | 6-3 | 2006 |
Sergio de Larrea | Valencia (Spain) | 6-6 | 2005 |
Karim Lopez | New Zealand Breakers (Australia) | 6-8 | 2007 |
Alexandros Samodurov | Panathinaikos (Greece) | 6-11 | 2005 |
Luigi Suigo | Mega (Serbia) | 7-2 | 2007 |
Babcock Hoops Draft Coverage
With the early entry list now official, the 2026 NBA Draft picture begins to come into sharper focus. The next several weeks will be important as prospects go through the NBA Draft Combine, private workouts, interviews, medical evaluations, and stay-or-go decisions.
For continued coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft, including scouting reports, mock drafts, rankings, prospect updates, and analysis, continue visiting BabcockHoops.com.
