RJ Luis to Stay in 2025 NBA Draft, Turned Down 'Lot of Money' in CBB Transfer Portal

RJ Luis' father, Reggie Luis, told college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman on Wednesday that his son is remaining in the 2025 NBA draft.

"There will be no change of heart," he said. "RJ's excited about the future. He's appreciative of St. John's, Coach Pitino and the fans. He wants to leave college as Johnnie."

He also noted that his son is giving up a nice NIL payday to remain in the draft.

"We understand the situation, we were offered a lot of money to go back to college," he said. "But we have a plan and we're going to stick with the plan."

He would have been a hot commodity had he returned to school. ESPN's Jonathan Givony noted that Luis was the "most coveted player left in the transfer portal, being pursued by North Carolina, Kansas, Ole Miss, Villanova, Georgetown and others."

Luis had a fantastic junior season for St. John's, averaging 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 33.6 percent from three while earning Big East Player of the Year honors. While his final game of the season was rough, as he shot just 3-of-17 from the field and only managed nine points in the Red Storm's second-round loss in the NCAA tournament to Arkansas, it was nonetheless a great year from Luis.

Whether it results in him ending up on an NBA team remains to be seen. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman didn't have Luis ranked in the top-50 on his March big board, while The Athletic's Sam Vecenie didn't project him to get drafted in his latest mock draft. On ESPN's big board, Luis sits 62nd.

That makes it somewhat surprising that he's committed to going pro, especially with a number of teams seemingly willing to make him a strong NIL offering. But perhaps Luis has received strong feedback from scouts and evaluators in the NBA and believes he'll either be drafted or signed following the draft.

For now, however, his decision to remain in the draft is a bit unexpected.