Kobe Brown comments on transfer rumors, NBA Draft process

Missouri guard Kobe Brown has opened up about the NBA Draft process and rumors swirling that he might seek a transfer should he return to college.

A senior sensation for the Tigers, he could potentially enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, not needing to have entered it during the spring window allocated to players looking to make a move without sitting out a year in residence.

“I don’t even know, I’ve had all my stuff on ‘do not disturb’ trying to lock in on all the league stuff,” Brown said. “I don’t know where it came from. I hadn’t seen the tweet, so I don’t know. I’m just locked in on the NBA right now. This is my first goal. My goal is to be able to stay in this draft. I want to stay in this draft. But you never know, so I guess we’ll see.”

Brown was one of 78 players invited to the annual NBA Combine, where he is currently showcasing his skills for prospective scouts.

His work on the court needs little introduction.

Brown is coming off a fantastic campaign that earned him first-team All-SEC honors. He finished averaging 15.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals as he helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-8 guard has shown continual improvement during his career. He averaged 5.8 points per game as a freshman, 8.0 points as a sophomore and 12.5 points as a junior before his terrific senior season this winter.

Brown also earned second-team All-SEC honors during his junior season in 2021-22, and he’s been on the SEC Academic Honor Roll multiple times.

Should Kobe Brown enter the NCAA transfer portal, he would instantly rocket toward the top of the list of players available.

For now, though, Brown is focused on the NBA Combine. He’ll sort the rest out later.

The 2023 NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. College players have until June 1 to withdraw their names from consideration for the draft while still retaining collegiate eligibility.