Otega Oweh Withdraws from 2025 NBA Draft, Will Return to Kentucky for Senior Season

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh announced on Instagram that he is returning to the Wildcats for his senior season.

The 6'4" guard averaged 16.2 points on 49.2 percent shooting (35.5 percent from three), 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game last year.

On April 15, Oweh announced that he had declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Oweh was also one of 75 players to take part in the NBA Draft Combine earlier in May.

Per NCAA rules (h/t NBA.com), early entry players such as Oweh had until Wednesday to withdraw their name from the draft in order to maintain their collegiate eligibility. In the end, that's the decision Oweh has made.

The latest Bleacher Report NBA mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman on May 22 notably didn't include Oweh, who was the 59th and last pick in Wasserman's second-to-last mock from May 6.

Oweh is certainly a talented player who could carve out a long NBA career, but it's possible that he considered his options and decided to go back to UK to improve his draft stock for 2026 as opposed to risking not being drafted at all in 2025.

In the end, though, Oweh is returning to a place where he's happy and considers home.

"This year has succeeded all my expectations," Oweh said in the video announcing his return. "Through all the highs and the lows, I’ve found a family in Kentucky forever. So let’s run it back. I’m staying home."