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Florida saw another one of its valuable big men head to the NBA on Thursday when sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu announced on his social media that he was declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Chinyelu isn’t completely closing the book on his collegiate career, however. He’s going to keep his collegiate eligibility for now, entering the NBA Draft without signing with an agent. This will give the 6-foot-10 native of Nigeria a chance to see where he stands as an NBA Draft prospect before deciding whether to go full steam ahead with a potential pro career.
He becomes the second Florida frontcourt player from this season’s national championship team who has declared for the draft with eligibility left. He joins Alex Condon, who, like Chinyelu, maintained his college eligibility when announcing his decision on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Chinyelu wrote a heartfelt message on social media thanking his coaches, teammates, and the Gators fans who were part of the championship ride this season. Here is Chinyelu’s full message:
Chinyelu didn’t begin his collegiate career at Florida, transferring to Gainesville from Washington State. But he was a rock for Todd Golden’s team this past season, starting all 40 of UF’s games in its title run while averaging 6.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and almost 1 block per contest. He was a force on the boards this past season for the Gators, piling up 262 rebounds, including 93 offensive rebounds.
The final deadline to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and retain college eligibility is May 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
