UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad has elected to forgo his remaining years of collegiate eligibility and enter the NBA draft, the school announced today in a press release.
"I am so thankful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at UCLA and will always be proud to be a Bruin," Muhammad said in a statement. "From a young age, I have dreamed of playing in the NBA, and I believe that this is the right time for me to move to the next level."
Muhammad was once viewed as a potential candidate for the first overall pick this year, but his stock took a bit of a hit last month when the Los Angeles Times revealed that the Bruin was actually 20 years old, rather than 19. He also had a bit of an up-and-down freshman season at UCLA, though his overall averages of 17.9 PPG and 5.2 RPG were solid.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com each still have Muhammad ranked ninth overall among draft prospects, making the 6'6" forward a very good bet to be a lottery pick in June. Our Zach Links profiled Muhammad as a prospect earlier this month.