West Virginia transfer Toby Okani withdraws from 2024 NBA Draft

West Virginia transfer Toby Okani will withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft and will play for the Mountaineers in 2024, his agent tells Jeff Goodman.

The MVC All-Defense recipient averaged 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game during the 2023-24 season for UIC. Okani, a 6-foot-8 senior from Orange, New Jersey, also considered Pepperdine, LSU, Virginia, and St. Bonaventure before committing to WVU.

Before he could fully commit, however, Okani wanted to receive feedback from NBA teams and assess his draft stock before coming back for his final season of eligibility.

ESPN: Bronny James will keep name in 2024 NBA Draft, forgo remaining college eligibility

Bronny James will keep his name in the NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, foregoing the rest of his college eligibility.

“NEWS: Bronny James will keep his name in the 2024 NBA draft at the NCAA withdrawal deadline, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN,” Givony wrote on Twitter. “James is in the midst of a strong pre-draft process that has elevated his standing among NBA teams.”

After a single season at USC, James elected to dip his toes in the NBA Draft waters. Based on Givony’s report, all sides were satisfied enough to move forward in the process.

James’ agent Rich Paul, who represents his father LeBron, gave a statement to ESPN.

“Bronny’s [draft] range is wide,” Paul told ESPN. “He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth. It only takes one team. I don’t care where that team is — it can be No. 1 or 58 — [but] I do care about the plan, the development. The team’s strategy, the opportunity and the financial commitment. That’s why I’m not doing a two-way deal. Every team understands that.”

According to Givony, Bronny James’ testing stood out during the combine and workouts.

“James, 19, tested as one of the fastest and most explosive athletes at the NBA draft combine in Chicago earlier this month, ranking second among 71 participants in two 3-point shooting drills,” he wrote. “James also had 13 points in a combine team scrimmage. He participated in a heavily attended pro day at the Lakers’ practice facility last week, where he again demonstrated his highlight-reel explosiveness and improving perimeter shooting ability.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.