Illinois' 1st-Team All-American Kofi Cockburn Announces He'll Enter 2022 NBA Draft

Illinois center Kofi Cockburn is entering the 2022 NBA draft. 

Speaking to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Cockburn said he's "100% in" for the draft and won't be returning to college despite having one more year of eligibility remaining. 

"I'm closing one of the most amazing chapters of my life," Cockburn said. "I'm proud of what we accomplished in college, but I am not sure it can get much better than that. It's a scary challenge now and I'm excited to rise to the occasion and try and prove people wrong."

Givony noted that Cockburn previously entered his name into the draft in 2020 and 2021, and NCAA rules prevent a player from withdrawing from a draft three times. 

Cockburn said he plans to sign with an agent this time, so he's fully committed to taking the next step in his basketball career. 

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman doesn't have Cockburn ranked among his top 50 prospects in the 2022 draft class, nor did he project him to get selected in his most recent mock draft. 

Givony has Cockburn ranked as the No. 14 center and 89th-best prospect in this year's class. 

Per Synergy Sports Technology (h/t Givony), Cockburn's 341 points with his back to the basket this season were the second-most in college basketball. 

Cockburn told Givony he is going to have to play a different style in the NBA than he did in three seasons at Illinois. 

"The NBA values players like Steven Adams and Jonas Valanciunas—guys who set great screens, who know the pick and roll game, how to slip and seal, how to be a physical defender and rebounder who blocks shots," Cockburn said. "My size can be a major advantage in the NBA. I don't need the ball to happy."

Listed at 7'0" and 285 pounds, Cockburn was a three-year starter for the Fighting Illini. The Jamaica native led the team to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament, including a No. 1 seed in 2020-21. 

Cockburn was a consensus All-American in each of the past two seasons, including a first-team selection in 2021-22. The 22-year-old averaged 20.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in 28 starts this season. 

The 2022 NBA draft will take place on June 23 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.