Former Baylor Star Tounde Yessoufou Denies Money Drove Him to St. John's

Baylor basketball could've used Tounde Yessoufou for another season, but he left for St. John's and Rick Pitino.

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Tounde Yessoufou was supposed to be the next Baylor basketball star. And he was, for a little while. He and Cameron Carr teamed up and were a scoring duo together, but Yessoufou never reached his full potential in Waco. And his time with Scott Drew is over before a successful marriage could've been built.

Following one season with Baylor, Yessoufou entered the 2026 NBA Draft, but also put his name into the transfer portal at the last second. He was adamant that he wasn't returning to college and would remain in the draft. But at the last second, once again, Yessoufou withdrew from the draft, and committed to St. John's.

For Yessoufou to commit to Rick Pitino's program so quickly, there had to have been work behind the scenes. There has been a reported $7 million price tag on Yessoufou, and while that's not confirmed, or official, St. John's certainly ponyed up some money to land the Baylor star. Yessoufou, who rarely posts to X, sent out a post trying to clear the air.

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

"I usually don’t speak publicly about things like this, but I feel it’s important to address a few things. Ever since I was a kid, my dream has always been to play in the NBA, and that dream has never changed. At the same time, I’ve always believed in myself and have always been self-aware enough to understand what I need to do to put myself in the best position to succeed," Yessoufou said.

"I’ve seen and heard the rumors and speculation surrounding my decision. The truth is, none of that affects me. My entire life, I’ve been criticized, doubted, and questioned, and I’ve learned to stay focused on what matters.

"I want to make one thing very clear: my decision to attend St. John’s has nothing to do with money. My decision was based on basketball, development, and winning...."

First and foremost, I want to thank God for always giving me the strength, courage, and faith to persevere through every challenge and moment of adversity. I also want to thank my family for standing by my side through thick and thin, especially throughout this process and this…

— Tounde Yessoufou (@ToundeYessoufou) May 29, 2026

Zero credit to Scott Drew, Baylor

While Yessoufou is going to say money wasn't a factor, we all know money does the talking. There were several programs that wanted him, including Baylor, but St. John's came out on top, and likely gave him significant NIL money to do so.

In Yessoufou's long X post, he never once mentioned his time at Baylor or being thankful for Scott Drew's guidance. Which is odd. It always seemed like Yessoufou had a good relationship with Drew and the Bears certainly allowed him to work through his struggles.

Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

Let's face it, Yessoufou wasn't a good shooter. He was great at attacking the rim and putting his head down, but he really struggled with the three, and that's why he dropped down draft boards.

Baylor wasn't able to win with Yessoufou in the fold, but if the Bears had him back for one more season, along with the additions made via the portal and recruitng, Baylor would've had a nice 2026-27 season.