Cameron Boozer Subtly Declares for NBA Draft Hours Before Deadline

The Blue Devil superstar is headed to the NBA after one spectacular season in college basketball

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) talks to Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) during a stoppage in play against the UConn Huskies in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Was there a chance Cameron Boozer was going to return to the Duke basketball team for a sophomore season? Absolutely not but he kept fans waiting for a long time as he finally announced his intentions to enter the NBA Draft just hours before Friday’s deadline.

Boozer subtly made his decision public with a video on social media. There was no long graphic or message like other players.

He said, “Thank you for everything Duke University. Blue Devil forever.”

Not only did Cameron Boozer fill the shoes left by Cooper Flagg, but he might also have surpassed the reigning No. 1 overall pick after winning nearly every individual honor a player can achieve this season, including the National Player of the Year.

Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 55.6-percent shooting from the floor and 39.1-percent from 3-point range. Had Duke been able to win the National Championship it would have been considered one of the best seasons of all time.

His twin brother, Cayden, announced that he will be returning to Duke for his sophomore season and it will mark the first time the two do not play on the same team in a basketball season.

Cameron Boozer is expected to be a Top 5 pick in the NBA Draft with many experts assuming he will be the third selection behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, all of whom declared for the draft within 36 hours of each other.

Boozer’s teammate at Duke, Isaiah Evans, was the only other player from the Blue Devil roster to leave the program early for the NBA Draft as head coach Jon Scheyer was able to retain four key players – Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, and Patrick Ngongba – for next season.

In June, Cameron Boozer will join the long list of former Duke basketball players to make it to the NBA.