Missouri forward Kobe Brown declares for 2023 NBA Draft, will maintain eligibility

Missouri forward Kobe Brown has made a decision regarding his future with the Tigers. Brown announced on Instagram he will enter the 2023 NBA Draft. Brown also stated he will be maintaining his college eligibility.

Brown’s decision comes after a solid four years with Missouri. If nothing else, making it four years at the same school is a rare accomplishment nowadays. But Brown wasn’t just loyal. By his junior and especially his senior season, he was a stud. Even as a sophomore he started for a team that made the NCAA Tournament. Then, in 2021-22 as a junior, he took a leap to lead a disappointing Tigers team in scoring. Ultimately, head coach Cuonzo Martin was fired last spring and in came Dennis Gates.

No single player may have benefitted more from the Gates hiring than Brown. His job in the new coach’s system was tough; since Gates likes spreading out the court with four or five three point shooters, the 6-foot-7 Brown was asked to play center, anchor rebounding efforts and shoot the three. Well, he did it all.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙈𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙤𝙪 🖤 #𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 pic.twitter.com/dVBWTflWCX

— Kobe Brown (@TheKobe24Brown) April 23, 2023

Brown leapt up to 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5% from three and nearly 60% from two. With his size and frame plus the shooting and positional versatility he showed as a senior, Kobe Brown went from draft dreamer to legitimate prospect. A real story of player development at the college level.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.