Jaxson Robinson's choice to pull out of NBA Draft 'was a last-minute decision.'

Let’s go back in time for a minute. Back to the end of May when Mark Pope was still piecing together his first-ever roster as the head coach of Kentucky. After being hired in mid-April, he needed just roughly six weeks to fill out a 12-man group. But the very last addition was arguably the most important — and it nearly didn’t happen.

The deadline for a player to pull their name out of the NBA Draft pool was on Wednesday, May 29. The biggest name Kentucky fans were waiting to hear about was BYU’s Jaxson Robinson, who was weighing two options: following Pope from BYU to Lexington, or making the leap to the pros. But Wednesday came and went with no public announcement from Robinson.

The reasoning? The 6-foot-6 guard was struggling with his decision. Following a workout with the Milwaukee Bucks on the day of the deadline, he still didn’t know which path he would choose.

“It was a last-minute decision,” Robinson said at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. “I was in Milwaukee on the day of the deadline trying to figure out what I was going to do after the workout. That experience was crazy, it was one of a kind, I’ll never forget it.”

Ultimately, Robinson submitted the paperwork necessary on the day of the deadline, pulling his name out of the draft to play a fifth and final college season. At that point, the only move from there was to join Pope for one more ride before jumping to the NBA next season.

“I’m appreciative of Coach Pope bringing me back to a place like Kentucky,” He added. “His alma mater, where we can hopefully go on to win a championship. I know it would mean a lot to both of us.”

Robinson was considered a borderline second-round draft pick before removing his name from the pool. There’s a very good chance he would have heard his name called at some point in the draft, if not immediately after as an undrafted free agent pickup. But a main reason he returned to college was to ensure he’d be as ready as possible for the NBA once that time comes.

“Just think I can put myself in a better position this year. I think I have a lot more to offer,” Robinson said of why he returned to college. “I’m still growing as a player and I think that’s something that is really cool about me as a player and person. I’m still growing, I’m still figuring it out, I got a lot more room to grow. I’m just excited to keep chipping away and hopefully reach my full potential.”

Robinson made a significant leap from his junior to senior season at BYU, capped off with a Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year trophy in 2023-24. He averaged 14.2 points per game under Pope a season ago while shooting over 35 percent from deep. Another leap is expected. The Oklahoma native will be heavily relied upon to get Kentucky a bucket when they need one most. He turned down the NBA to make that happen.

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