Jaxson Robinson Withdraws from NBA Draft and Commits to Kentucky

Casey Lundquist | May 30, 2024

Mar 6, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Curtis Jones (5) defends Brigham Young Cougars guard Jaxson Robinson (2) at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports / Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Former BYU standout and Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Jaxson Robinson is withdrawing from the NBA Draft and committing to Kentucky, he told ESPN on Thursday morning. Robinson's announcement comes one day after the deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft. Robinson will use his final year of collegiate eligibility to follow Mark Pope to Kentucky.

While Robinson was exploring his NBA opportunities, he also entered the transfer portal, allowing him to weigh his NBA opportunities against large NIL offers from some of college basketball's best programs. Robinson could either return to BYU - an option he was considering, transfer to another program, or declare for the NBA Draft.

Robinson, who led the Cougars in scoring, averaged 14.2 points per game off the bench. Robinson was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year last season. Robinson was critical in BYU's run to the NCAA Tournament last season. In the first round game against Duquesne, Robinson was the only player that could consistently score. He scored 25 points on just 15 shots in a 71-67 loss.

Robinson spent the first two years of his career at Texas A&M and Arkansas before transferring to BYU. He spent two years in Provo under head coach Mark Pope. During his time at BYU, Robinson developed into a really good player.

If Robinson would have stayed in the NBA Draft and been selected, he would have been the first BYU player to be selected in the NBA Draft since Jimmer Fredette.