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Jonathan Kuminga, who has an argument as the best recruit in the 2020 class, won’t be attending college.
On Wednesday during an Instagram Live session with Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, Kuminga announced he would join the NBA G-League this fall. He initially set his decision date for July 16th at 2pm EST, but he opted to go ahead and make the call now.
No. 1 2021 prospect Jonathan Kuminga (@JonathanKuming6) has reclassified to the 2020 high school class and will sign in the NBA G League pro pathway program, he tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 16, 2020
Had Kuminga gone to college, he was still considering the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Auburn Tigers, Kentucky Wildcats and Duke Blue Devils.
Kuminga, who was once ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2021, is officially part of the 2020 class and ranked No. 4 overall by ESPN. The 6-8, 205-pound forward plays at The Patrick School in New Jersey, which is where former Wildcat Michael Kidd-Gilchrist played high school ball at.
Going into the decision, Kuminga was widely expected to go pro. Had he gone to college, Texas Tech was the favorite, largely due to his brother, Joel Ntambwe, being a redshirt sophomore with the Red Raiders next season.
But the allure of an instant payday in the G-League, coupled with the fact there may not be college sports this fall or winter, made it an easy decision for Kuminga to begin his pro career now.
Assuming Kuminga is part of the 2021 NBA Draft, he should be a top-five pick in contention for the No. 1 overall pick. He also joins highly-touted recruits Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix to pick the G-League over college.
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