Jeremiah Fears' first season on the Oklahoma basketball team will be his only season on the Oklahoma basketball.
The Sooners' freshman guard declared for the NBA Draft on Wednesday on "The Paul Finebaum Show" on ESPN. He led Oklahoma to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season in averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in about 30 minutes a night.
"I was lucky to walk into a great situation at Oklahoma with a lot of opportunity," Fears said. "I had great teammates and coaches working with me every day to help a young freshman achieve his dreams."
Fears will be one of the youngest players in the NBA Draft. He reclassified up from high-school Class of 2025 to Class of 2024 so he could play college basketball a year early. Fears does not turn 19 until October. Regardless, he was still projected as the No. 11 overall pick in ESPN.com's most recent mock draft from March 13.
A removal of his name from the draft is unlikely, as such. Fears said he will spend the next few months in New York training for the draft with former NBA sharp-shooter and current agent Mike Miller.
#OU guard Jeremiah Fears announces he’s entering the NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/VAIU5WZtNq
— Bob Przybylo (@BPrzybylo) April 2, 2025
"His youth at 18, competitive nature and flashes of improvement this season have put him in lottery conversations, despite his need for physical development and defensive improvement," his draft profile reads. "Teams in search of playmaking will have to consider him early in the draft."
Fears was one of two significant contributors to the Sooners' 2024-25 team to exit Wednesday. About the same time Fears announced his entry into the draft, guard Duke Miles announced his into the transfer portal. Fears led the Sooners in scoring and Miles was second.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma freshman Jeremiah Fears enters NBA Draft
