Another Stanford Cardinal star is officially going pro. On Thursday, former Stanford basketball guard Ebuka Okorie announced that he was staying in the NBA Draft and not returning to The Farm for his sophomore season.

Declaring for the draft with a return to school designation, Okorie had until May 28 to make a final decision on his future, and opted to bet on himself and remain in the draft.

Putting together a dominant freshman season where he averaged 23.2 points, 3.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds for one of the best freshman campaigns in both ACC and Stanford history, Okorie's draft stock soared all year long. He began the season as a surprising member of the starting five, and has now played his way into first-round consideration in the NBA Draft. 

Finishing second all-time in scoring averages for a single season at Stanford, leading the ACC in scoring and seventh in the nation overall, Okorie gave Stanford an AP All-American honorable mention selection for the second consecutive season and kept turning heads as the season progressed.

By staying in the draft, Okorie will become Stanford’s 44th all-time NBA selection. If he goes in the first round, he would be only the 14th ever first-round pick from Stanford and the first since 2021. 

He would be the Cardinal's fifth selection in the last eight seasons, a feat that has only been achieved by Duke and North Carolina, and would be the second consecutive pick under Kyle Smith, with Maxime Raynaud drafted in the second round by the Sacramento Kings last season.

"We are thrilled for Ebuka as he takes the next step in his journey," Smith said. "He gave so much to this program in his short tenure. We would have loved to have had him longer, but his accomplishments and team success have led him to his ultimate individual goal, the NBA. It is his drive, talent, and character which has separated him from others, and we are proud to have this life-long relationship as Ebuka starts his NBA career. We wish him the best."

Coming to Stanford as a four-star recruit out of the Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, Okorie originally committed to play Ivy League basketball at Harvard. But after a dominant senior year of high school, where he won the New Hampshire Boys Gatorade Player of the Year, he opted to play for a Power Four school.

But Stanford gave Okorie the best of both worlds for what he was trying to accomplish, as he developed into an NBA caliber player while also receiving a world class education.

This year's draft is very deep. While the first round will see endless future stars taken, Okorie proved that he belongs right in that mix and should be a top-25 pick. The question now becomes which team ends up selecting Okorie, and potentially selecting the steal of the draft. 

With the NBA Draft set for June 23 and 24, there's just a few weeks remaining until Okorie is selected. Where do you think he'll end up? Join StanfordRoundtable — it's free — and let us know which team could benefit from Okorie's game the most!