Canadian star centre Zach Edey declared for the NBA draft on Tuesday.
Edey averaged a career-best 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks across 34 games in a breakout junior season for the Purdue Boilermakers. The seven-foot-four, 305-pound Edey finished sixth in the NCAA in scoring and second in rebounding.
He led Purdue to a Big Ten championship and the Boilermakers entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed, before getting upset in the opening round by Fairleigh Dickinson.
Edey's efforts were recognized with six national player of the year awards: the Wooden Award, The Associated Press, Sporting News, United States Basketball Writers Association, Naismith Trophy and National Association of Basketball Coaches.
"My basketball journey has been unorthodox to say the least, but I wouldn't change a thing about it," he said in his announcement on Twitter. "From ranked 437 in my class to national player of the year, I can't put into words what Purdue University, my teammates, my coaches, and our fans mean to me.
"Though we fell short of our ultimate goal this season, I loved every second of it."
The Toronto native also said that he will maintain his college eligibility. Underclassmen have until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 31 to pull their name out of the draft to keep their eligibility.
"I will evaluate my future after going through the process and look forward to what's next," he added on Twitter.
The NBA draft is set to take place June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.
The Canadian Press
