Stanford Star Ebuka Okorie Invited to NBA Draft Combine Following Breakout Year

Okorie's lone season at Stanford made history, and has set him up as a potential first-rounder in the NBA Draft

Feb 28, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) dribbles against Southern Methodist University Mustangs forward Sam Walters (4) and guard Jaron Pierre Jr. (5) during the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

When Ebuka Okorie joined the Stanford basketball program, nobody knew what to expect. A former four-star recruit from New Hampshire, Okorie still did not get a ton of looks, initially committing to an Ivy League school, Harvard, before flipping to Stanford after a strong senior season.

But Okorie made people regret not recruiting him in his freshman campaign on the Farm, averaging 23.2 points per game and ending the year as a top player in both the ACC and all of college basketball.

Okorie's NBA draft stock skyrocketed as a result, leading to him declaring for the draft. And now, Okorie will get another opportunity to prove he deserves to be a lottery pick-- receiving an invite to the draft combine on Friday, May 1. Taking place in Chicago on May 10-17, Okorie is among only 73 players to receive an invite.

Named first-team All-ACC and to the ACC All-Rookie team, Okorie's freshman season was dominant and a big reason why Stanford was able to win over 20 games for the second straight season.

Along with his 23.2 points, he also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists, and set several records — breaking Stanford's freshman scoring record as well as the ACC freshman record for most 30 point games in a season. He ended up scoring over 30 points in eight games during the 2025-26 season, including a 40-point game against Georgia Tech back in February.

Despite Stanford missing the NCAA tournament for the 12th straight year, Okorie was a major bright spot on the roster. While he is still projected to be a late first round pick, a good performance at the combine will help his case and turn more heads, even with this year's draft being very deep at guard.

Okorie also left the option open to return to school, and if he does that, he can enter the draft in 2027 and be in a class that is projected to be a little thinner, which would move him up the boards.

For Stanford, this is the second straight year that the program has a highly regarded player entering the draft, with Maxime Raynaud going to the Sacramento Kings last season.

But Raynaud entered the draft after four years in college and at age 22 — on the older side for an NBA prospect — which was the likely cause of his slippage into the second round. Okorie is young though, still only 19, and has a lot more room to grow. Those are qualities that NBA teams hold in high regard.

The NBA Combine will provide Okorie with an opportunity to put any questions about his game to rest, and could end up shooting him up draft boards in the near future.