Kofi Cockburn to enter NBA draft after three seasons with Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois junior Kofi Cockburn will enter the 2022 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility.

«I'm closing one of the most amazing chapters of my life,» Cockburn told ESPN on Wednesday. «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.

»Thinking back to where I was three years ago when I entered college — people would be amazed to see the progress I made in becoming a two-time All-American. I'm planning on doing the same exact thing in my professional career: pushing my game to new heights."

Cockburn already entered the NBA draft twice in 2020 and 2021 and cannot withdraw his name from consideration for a third time, according to league rules, making him ineligible to return from an NCAA standpoint.

«I'm 100% in now,» Cockburn said. «I'm not going back to college. I'm signing with agent Todd Ramasar. I've tested the waters enough, I'm 100% dedicated to going all the way.»

Cockburn, a consensus first-team All-American, was the only player in college basketball to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this past season. He led Illinois to a 23-10 record and a Big Ten championship, which the Fighting Illini shared with Wisconsin. It was the first time Illinois won a regular-season championship since 2005.

«If you watched us play, we had a lot of ups and downs,» Cockburn said. «A lot of injuries, COVID, players coming in and out — it was tough. We had to adjust. People are going to be wondering years from now what it was like to play college basketball during a pandemic.

»It was hard to be an All-American two years in a row. We proved to be winners regardless.