{"id":588485,"date":"2026-04-07T17:49:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/588485\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T17:49:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:49:11","slug":"louisville-guard-mikel-brown-jr-set-to-enter-2026-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/588485\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. set to enter 2026 NBA draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

University of Louisville<\/a> freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr.<\/a> told ESPN Andscape that he plans to enter the 2026 NBA draft.<\/p>\n

Brown averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in 21 games for the Cardinals during the 2025-26 season. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder missed 14 games with a lower back injury, including the NCAA tournament and Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, but says he expects to take part in predraft workouts for teams.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Woo projects Brown<\/a> will be picked seventh overall in the draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it\u2019s just been a dream of mine to be able to be in this position,\u201d Brown told ESPN Andscape. \u201cThe little kid in me would freaking scream just to know that I have an opportunity to play at the highest level, which has been a dream of mine since I started picking up a basketball. So yeah, I\u2019ll be taking that next step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown lived up his hype when he was able to play for the Cardinals this season.<\/p>\n

The former DME Academy (Fla.) star was ranked No. 8 in the 2025 ESPN SCNext 100 before joining Louisville. Brown scored a season-high 45 points against NC State on Feb. 9, tying the Cardinals\u2019 single-game scoring record set by Wes Unseld in 1967 and setting a freshman record for both the program and the ACC. The 2026 All-ACC third-team selection was named Associated Player of the Week after the performance.<\/p>\n

Brown, however, believes his breakthrough performance was scoring 29 points in a 96-88 win against in-state rival Kentucky on Nov. 11, 2025, the third game of the seasno.<\/p>\n

\u201cScoring 45 definitely was different,\u201d Brown, 20, said. \u201cBut everybody knows that Kentucky game just proved a point. That game, obviously, it\u2019s just a big rivalry and meant a lot to our fans, meant a lot to their fans, and it meant a lot to the game of basketball. That rivalry is definitely one of the premier rivalries in this sport. So, to be able to play in that atmosphere and to do what I did put me on the map even more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that 45-point game was big. But I\u2019ll definitely say that Kentucky game is when I felt like I just made a statement like, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m here. I\u2019m here to stay.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n

\"MikelLouisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (left) said his breakthrough performance came against in-state rival Kentucky when he had 29 points in a 96-88 win against the Wildcats on Nov. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n

Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Brown is a playmaker and scorer with great athleticism who also averaged 2.6 made 3-pointers per game. His biggest question mark entering the NBA draft evaluation process will be his health.<\/p>\n

Brown has been hampered by a strained back since November and sat out more than a month beginning in mid-December but said he probably returned to action too early when he played against Virginia Tech on Jan. 24.<\/p>\n

He played in 11 more games, including the 45-point outburst against NC State, before being sidelined indefinitely. His last game was Feb. 28. The Orlando, Florida, native said it pained him to watch Louisville play without him in the NCAA tournament and ACC tournament but that he was comforted by strong support from his Louisville teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a competitor, it just hurt and it ate me up inside that I just couldn\u2019t go out there and battle with the guys,\u201d Brown said. \u201cSo, I came back, played those next 11 games, did better. Sitting definitely taught me a lot, allowed me to see the game from a different lens and to be able to go back and apply it. It definitely helped me in that 11-game stretch.<\/p>\n

\u201c[My back] really was messed up, but I just kept trying to play through it. And then eventually it just led me to the decision that I wasn\u2019t going to play in both tournaments \u2014 the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament \u2014 just because I\u2019m not trained to go half speed at all. I always want to go full speed in everything I do, whether that\u2019s me working out or playing a game. I just wasn\u2019t able to do that at the time. So, I just felt like it was best for me to just sit out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MikelMikel Brown Jr. (center) with his family, from left to right: brother Zackariah Brown, mother Marisela Caraballo, Brown Jr., father Christopher Brown and sister Arianna Brown.<\/p>\n

Brown family<\/p>\n

Brown said his back injury is improving. He is receiving treatment daily and he has been working out. He anticipates he will work out for teams during the draft process and play in NBA Summer League in July. Brown said the challenge of his back injury helped his maturity.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, this season was very challenging for me not to be able to compete just because of my physical health,\u201d Brown said. \u201cUnfortunately, I hated to be that way, but I just wasn\u2019t able to just get out there and play. So, just me maturing and just learning so much about the game this past year meant a lot to me, and it just changed my mindset.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely just took that next step as being that leader of the team and being the most vocal on the team. I know what I\u2019m capable of and I feel that I prepared myself for the next level, and I will continue to work hard and prepare for it even more so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. has a growing spotlight in NCAA tournament \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

Brown said he has talked to former AAU teammate VJ Edgecombe, a Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard, in detail about the NBA draft day experience. Brown is part of the 2026 NBA draft class projected to be one of the best in league history, featuring prospects such as BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. One NBA scout told Andscape that even with the back issue, Brown is expected to be a top-10 selection.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis class is extremely loaded,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI know most of these guys because I played against them throughout my high school career and I played some of them in my college career. I\u2019m pretty familiar with those guys. So, to be able to compete with them every single game and every single workout, it means a lot to me just because I\u2019m competing with the best of the best. This draft class is going to be very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MikelGuard Mikel Brown Jr. (right) consulted with his family and former Louisville Cardinal and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (left) before declaring for the NBA draft.<\/p>\n

Brown family<\/p>\n

Before deciding to go pro, Brown said he consulted with his family as well as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who attended Louisville. Brown will be represented by Seros Partners.<\/p>\n

Brown met Mitchell while playing for Overtime Elite in Atlanta during his junior year of high school. Since then, the seven-time NBA All-Star has been a mentor to Brown and played a role in him attending Louisville. Brown also played well at Mitchell\u2019s SPIDA Elite Camp last summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and Don have been talking about this since we first started talking,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWhen he first saw me play, he was like, \u2018Man, you got a chance.\u2019 And we talk about it all the time. I constantly ask him questions, \u2018What does it take? What do I need to start applying into my routine that all the other pros do in the league?\u2019 He\u2019s just like, \u2018Man, just keep doing what you\u2019re doing. You\u2019re doing all the right things.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just always said \u2014 excuse my language \u2014 but he was like, \u2018Listen, I\u2019m going to bust your a\u2011\u2011 when you get up to this level. But keep doing what you doing.\u2019 So, I\u2019m looking forward to talking to him more and just continuing to ask him questions about how it works and all the stuff that goes on in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it was just one season, Brown said the University of Louisville and the city of Louisville have made a lasting impact on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experience was great,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThe season definitely didn\u2019t go as I wanted it to go. I wanted to come out with a national championship and be a big role in that. But I\u2019m following God\u2019s will. And I\u2019d like to say thank you just because Louisville put me on a platform to compete at the highest level of college basketball, and it showed me a lot of love.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fans were amazing. When I go out and go to sign papers and jerseys, they show a lot of love. The city of Louisville helped me learn a lot and supported me, so I can\u2019t thank them enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for Andscape. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn\u2019t been able to in years and his knees still hurt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University of Louisville freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. told ESPN Andscape that he plans to enter the 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588486,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-588485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}