Mikel Brown Jr. declares for 2026 NBA Draft
Louisville freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. will enter his name in the 2026 NBA Draft this summer after one season with the Cardinals, he announced on social media.
Brown played in just 21 games this winter, dealing with lower back soreness that kept him out for a large chunk of the schedule. He missed over a month of the middle part of the schedule and also failed to see the floor in Louisville’s final six games of the season, including the two NCAA Tournament games in Buffalo against South Florida and Michigan State.
He was named ACC All-Rookie and All-ACC Third Team for averaging 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 29 minutes a game. The 6-foot-5 freshman was the highest-rated recruit in program history when to commit when he announced his pledge to the Cardinals during a New Year’s Day win over North Carolina. Out of DME Academy, the Orlando product ranked as the seventh-best overall prospect in the 2025 class and the year’s No. 1 point guard.
When Brown was on the floor this past winter, the Cardinals had one of the most electric offenses in the country. His 45-point, 10 3-pointer performance against NC State tied two single-game school records, and he was named both ACC and National Player of the Week. He also scored 24 points in the loss at UNC, the game in which he ultimately aggravated his back injury again, and 29 points against Baylor. By the season’s end, Brown was third on the team with 55 made 3s and held the Cardinals’ best individual assist and free-throw rates.
It wasn’t the dream season that Louisville and head coach Pat Kelsey had hoped for with Brown, but at the end of the day, he’s in the school’s record books and is a projected lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
