Baylor guard Tounde Yessoufou withdraws from NBA Draft, commits to St. John's

Rick Pitino has landed another top portal player.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou has pulled his name out of the NBA Draft and committed to play for Pitino at St. John’s. Yessoufou had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday night to make a decision, but it wasn’t until a little after midnight that news finally broke of his decision.

A 6-foot-5 guard, Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, two steals, and 1.6 assists per game as a true freshman last season for the Bears. On3 ranks him as the 6th-best player to enter the transfer portal this season. ESPN had him projected to go 34th overall to the Sacramento Kings if he kept his name in the draft.

With Yessoufou teaming up alongside the likes of Ian Jackson, Quinn Ellis, Donnie Freeman, and more, Pitino is going to have another tough and talented squad in 2026-27.

Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou — a potential first-round pick — has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and committed to St. John's Red Storm men's basketball program to play for Rick Pitino, his agency THE TEAM tells ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 28, 2026

Kentucky had been keeping the door open for Yessoufou should he decide to return to college, but UCLA and St. John’s were considered the top teams in the running. Instead, Mark Pope has set his sights on Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, who pulled his name from the NBA Draft pool earlier Wednesday night. UK, Louisville, Arizona, and St. John’s were immediately listed as the frontrunners — we can take the Johnnies off that list in the wake of the Yessoufou news.

That’s a positive for Kentucky. Momcilovic is expected to make a decision rather quickly, with some reports pointing to a commitment sometime this weekend. The Wildcats are right in the thick of the race to land him. The 6-foot-8 wing shot a Division I-leading 48.7 percent from three-point range as a junior last season and is ranked No. 3 in On3’s portal rankings.

[MORE: The latest on Milan Momcilovic’s decision after pulling out of the draft]