Florida basketball’s Rueben Chinyelu has yet to make a decision on whether he will go pro or return to school next season.
The reigning National and SEC Defensive Player of the Year declared for the NBA Draft in April, and most recently competed in the combine last week in Chicago.
“It just depends on where I’m going to be picked on the draft,” Chinyelu told NCAA digital reporter Andy Katz. “I had this conversation when I was being interviewed by some of the teams. That’s something I’m going to weigh and ultimately decide if I want to stay in the draft or I want go back to school.”
🚨 @TheAndyKatz caught up with Rueben Chinyelu at the NBA Draft Combine to talk about his next steps 💪 pic.twitter.com/fZwknY0BGn
— Andy Katz (@SidelinewithAK) May 14, 2026
Chinyelu has predominantly been projected to go in the second round, but in recent CBS mock draft was slotted the No. 25 pick in the first round. At the combine, Chinyelu measured at 6-foot-9.25 inches without shoes and 259-pounds. He recorded the long hand length of 10 inches and wingspan of 7-feet-7.5-inches.
Chinyelu had a 33-inch vertical leap and finished 18th out of 32 participants in the three-quarter court sprint with a time 3.25 seconds and held a time of 2.85 seconds in the shuttle run.
In the shooting drills at the combine he was reportedly 18 of 30 off the dribble and 11 of 25 on long-range attempts. He was also 6 of 22 in the side-mid-shooting drill.
“You already know how the front line looked last year, so putting that with the new guys coming, I think it’s going be super, super fun,” Chinyelu said of the prospect of him returning to UF and reuniting with Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon.
“We’re going out there and the mindset is to get it all. If I go back, I’m not settling for less. That’s what it’s going to be.”
Chinyelu set a Florida record with 19 double-doubles in 2025-26, and was the first Gator in 50 years to average double-figure rebounds per game.
The opt-out date for the 2026 NBA Draft for collegiate players is on May 27.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Rueben Chinyelu’s NBA draft decision for Florida