257 College Basketball Players Leave NBA Reeling as NIL Era Strikes a Nerve in Shocking Draft Fallout

The deadline for early entrants to enter the NBA came to a close on April 26. Unexpectedly, a decade-old record was broken by the players who entered the draft pool. This year’s draft class will feature the lowest number of draft entrants since 2015. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, this marks a drastic drop compared to 2021, when the number of entrants hit a record high of 363.

Only 106 players entered the 2025 NBA Draft, per the NBA. That’s the lowest number of early-entrants since 2015, down from a peak of 363 in 2021, just before the NCAA’s NIL era officially started.

Incredible boon for college basketball to retain so much talent. pic.twitter.com/SSnXEqMrRJ

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 29, 2025

It is important to note that just after the 2021 draft, the NIL rules came into effect that allow players to earn from their name, image, and likeness. Givony believes this change to be beneficial to college basketball as Universities can keep their talented players. 

(This is developing news…)

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