Alabama's Josh Primo Declares for 2021 NBA Draft, Retains Eligibility
University of Alabama guard Josh Primo is joining teammate Jaden Shackelford and testing the NBA draft waters.
He announced the move via social media on Wednesday morning and added that he will sign with an NCAA-certified agent to maintain his eligibility.
"First, I would like to thank God as none of this would be possible without Him," Primo said. "I would also thank to thank my family, for their unwavering love and support. I cannot thank them enough for what they do in my life.
"I am beyond grateful for the memories, experiences and bonds built here at Alabama. This is more than just a team, it's a brotherhood and I'm thankful I got to be a part of something so special this year. To the coaches, training staff and managers — thank you for believing in me and helping me grow into the player and person I am today. Your guidance has been instrumental in preparing me for this next step.
"Lastly, thank you Tide Nation — the best fans in the world. The support you have given both to me and my family this past year has been nothing short of incredible. I am extraordinarily grateful to have found myself at the University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa is and will always be a second home.
"I have always had aspirations to play in the NBA since I was little. I feel that now is the time for me to take that step toward my dream. With that being said, I am excited to announce that I will be declaring for the 2021 NBA draft. I will be signing with an NCAA-certified agent to keep the option of returning to the University of Alabama men's basketball team next season. I cannot wait to see what comes next in my career and what the future holds. I appreciate all of the love and support as I go through this process! Roll Tide!!"
During his lone season with the Crimson Tide, the native Canadian found himself on the All-SEC Freshman Team after averaging 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists, while shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range. His best game of the year came on the road against Auburn, when he dropped 22 points and grabbed four rebounds.
He made 30 appearances and 19 starts this past season.
Unfortunately, Primo sprained his MCL during Alabama's 85-48 win over Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. He would go on to miss games against Tennessee, LSU and Iona but return to the lineup in the Crimson Tide's dominant victory over Maryland and record 10 points and four rebounds to help the team advance to the Sweet 16.
Primo and Shackelford both have until July 19 to withdraw their names from the draft, if they choose to do so.
“I would expect some guys to,” Alabama coach Nate Oats told the media last week. “Guys that are some of our better players that put up some good numbers, we’ve had some conversations. They’ve gotta put their name in. I’m not gonna go through and list everybody, but look at who put up some of our better numbers. To me, it probably makes sense to test the waters, get some feedback, and I don’t think it’s the worst thing either. I want guys that wanna be in the NBA. If you wanna be in the NBA, let’s get feedback from NBA people.
“If a guy’s got a guaranteed first-round contract, he probably needs to go. We’re here to make our players better, we’re here to make their future better. If you’ve got that type of guaranteed money, I’m not gonna convince you to come back if it’s not the best decision for you, your family, your future, your career. They’ve gotta get feedback like that on that stuff. I would expect there to be a few that would test it to see what they’ve got. But at the end of the day, if they don’t have a guaranteed first-round contract, most of the time it makes sense to come back and try to play your way up into it.”
