Cal's Jaylon Tyson Declares for NBA Draft

Jaylon Tyson might be taken late in the first round of the NBA draft after being a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. It means all five Cal starters from the 2023-24 team will be gone

Jaylon Tyson, the only Cal player to be named first-team All-Pac-12 this past season, told ESPN on Thursday that he will declare for the 2024 NBA draft and will not return to Cal for his final season of eligibility.

"I am going to forgo my remaining eligibility and enter the draft," Tyson told ESPN. "I am in Las Vegas getting ready right now."

The versatile, 6-foot-7 Tyson is ranked No. 32 in the ESPN 100 among NBA draft prospects, and his decision to enter the NBA draft is not surprising, because Tyson is projected to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in the upcoming draft.

However, there was hope that Tyson might enter the draft, but then withdraw his name before draft day and return for his final college season.  His statement to ESPN seems to preclude that possibility.

This is a blow to the Cal program.  It means that all five starters from the Bears’ 2023-24 team will not be on the Cal roster for the 2024-25 season when Cal begins play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Fardaws Aimaq, Keonte Kennedy and Jalen Cone have run out of eligibility, Jalen Celestine entered the transfer portal this week, and now Tyson is gone.  And Tyson was the Golden Bears’ best player and one of the best players in the Pac-12 this past season. Cal went 9-11 in the Pac-12 in the conference’s final season, which was Mark Madsen's first season as the Golden Bears' head coach.

Tyson, who transferred from Texas Tech following the 2022-23 season, finished third in the Pac-12 in scoring averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

"I had a great season, statistically speaking, even though we didn't make the end goal," Tyson said, according to ESPN. "It was great to build some momentum for Cal going into next year."

"NBA teams saw that I'm a versatile guard. I can play a lot of different positions on the court. I can be a '3-and-D' player or a secondary ball handler. I even showed I can play point guard in spurts down the line."

The NBA draft consists of two rounds and will be held June 26-27.

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