Zach Edey declines NBA Draft greenroom invite, will watch with friends and family

The 2024 NBA Draft is rapidly approaching and on Friday evening, the league sent out invitations for several players to come in person and be a part of the spectacle in the green room. Former Purdue star Zach Edey received a green room invite, but he will instead watch the draft at home with his Boilermaker teammates, coaches, and family, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Edey led Purdue to the national championship game in March, a loss to UConn. He was one of the most dominant forces in college basketball this year and won Big Ten Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. Among numerous other accolades in his career, he also won National College Player of the Year honors in 2023 and 2024. Fueled by the disappointment and embarrassment of losing to the No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Edey and the Boilermakers came back on a mission in the 2024 campaign. They finished with a 34-5 overall record, posting the most wins in program history.

In 39 games this past season, Edey averaged 25.2 points per game, 12.2 rebounds, two assists, shot 62.3% from the floor and 50% from three, when he took shots.

Once he wrapped up his career, Edey had made his mark among the all-time greats. He became just the sixth player in Big Ten Conference history to have 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. He also scored in double figures for 74 consecutive games on February 4th against Wisconsin, passing Rick Mount in setting the Purdue record in that category.

Edey also broke Terry Dischinger’s record for double-doubles after he got his 55th double-double of his career. He also shattered the Boilermakers school record for rebounds, passing the mark set by Joe Barry Carroll in a game against Ohio State on Feb. 18, 2024.

As a member of the Class of 2020, Edey was a four-star recruit out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 20 overall prospect in the state, the No. 36 center in the class and the No. 255 overall prospect in the class.

The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 26th and the second round will be the following day.

That’s where Edey could narrow down his potential teams. If he goes in the lottery, there will be 14 potential teams who could select the Purdue big man.

On3’s Nick Kosko also contributed to this article.