Duke Target Jonathan Kuminga Ready to Decide

Top prospect to announce his plans on Thursday

Five-star small forward Jonathan Kuminga has decided on his basketball future.

The 6-foot-8, 205-pounder from the Congo who plays for The Patrick School is the consensus top-rated recruit in the class of 2021. He also “walked” in his high school’s online graduation ceremony, meaning he could choose to reclassify to the class of 2020.

Kuminga announced his decision date on Twitter, saying, “I will announce where I am going to play next year on Thursday, July 16th at 2pm East. stay tuned.”

The tweet was carefully worded. Kuminga intentionally didn’t mention choosing a school. That’s because going directly to the pros and accepting a contract in the NBA G-League is one of his final five options. The phrase “next year” also leaves his reclassification plans a bit vague.

If Kuminga turns down the opportunity to go pro immediately, his other four finalists are Duke, Kentucky, Auburn and Texas Tech.

Kuminga’s brother, Joel Ntambwe, plays for Texas Tech and will be a sophomore next season after transferring from UNLV and sitting out a year. The Red Raiders are considered a favorite, if Kuminga turns down the G-League.

Duke, who lost out on one of its top 2021 recruiting targets last week, when Max Christie chose Michigan State, would like to quickly get back on the winning track on the recruiting trail, but landing Kuminga is believed to be a long shot, especially if he reclassifies to 2020 as expected.

Kuminga recently spoke to Sports Illustrated about being a voice for social justice and his happiness that the coaches from the schools he’s considering also spoke out.