Ben Simmons won’t participate in NBA draft combine

Simmons is widely expected to be the top pick of the draft.

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LSU freshman star Ben Simmons will not attend the NBA draft combine, according to the list of participants released by the NBA on Thursday.

NBA prospects who are projected to be selected high in the draft order often do not participate in the combine. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins—the No. 1 picks in 2015 and 2014—also did not attend.

Other notable prospects who will not travel to Chicago for the combine are Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell, Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe and Wichita State’s Fred Vanvleet.

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Simmons, who is a potential No. 1 pick, announced in March that he would declare for the draft after just one year at LSU, during which he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game for the Tigers.

He hired agent Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron James.

Simmons announced last month that he would not represent Australia in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in order to “concentrate fully on his NBA activities.”