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Florida center Rueben Chinyelu declares for NBA Draft

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•04/17/25•

On3Keith

Rueben-Chinyelu-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) dunks the ball during the second half against the Connecticut Huskies in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

Florida center Rueben Chinyelu, who played a prominent role for the Gators’ national championship team, has declared for the NBA Draft, he announced Thursday via X. He has, however, left open the option to return to UF.

Chinyelu’s post read as follows:

“FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR BLESSING ME WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE MY DREAMS. I’M INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, THE AMAZING GATORS FANS AND EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY. TO COACH GOLDEN, THE ENTIRE COACHING STAFF, OUR MANAGERS AND MY TEAMMATES, THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME, PUSHING ME AND HELPING ME GROW BOTH AS A PLAYER AND A PERSON. YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME. ONE OF THE GREATEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN
WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH MY BROTHERS. THAT’S A MEMORY I’LL CHERISH FOREVER AND AN EXPERIENCE ILL ALWAYS HOLD CLOSE TO MY HEART. AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION WITH MY FAMILY, I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT I WILL BE DECLARING FOR THE 2025 NBA DRAFT WHILE MAINTAINING MY COLLEGE ELIGIBILITY TO RETURN TO UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. THIS IS A STEP FORWARD IN CHASING MY DREAM OF PLAYING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE CONTINUED LOVE AND SUPPORT, GO GATORS!”

The 6-foot-10 Chinyelu, a native of Nigeria, just completed his sophomore season, which was his first with the Gators. He played at Washington State as a freshman.

While starting all 40 games for Florida, which finished 36-4 and claimed the program’s third national title, Chinyelu averaged 6.0 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. He shot 59.9 percent from the field.

During the Gators’ NCAA Tournament run, Chinyelu was a beast on the boards and on defense. He averaged 7 rebounds a game in the NCAA Tournament, which included a nine-rebound showing in the NCAA semifinals against No. 1 overall seed Auburn. His best game in the tourney arguably was his 10-point, eight-board effort in a Sweet 16 win over Maryland.

Chinyelu is the second Gators post player to declare for the NBA Draft this week. Alex Condon announced Wednesday he will test the NBA waters while maintaining his eligibility.

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