Twelve international players, led by prospective top-10 pick Sekou Doumbouya of Guinea, remained in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft at the final deadline to withdraw on Tuesday.
Doumbouya, an 18-year-old power forward who plays for Limoges in France, is rated the ninth-best draft prospect by both sports broadcast channels ESPN and CBS.
The NBA released the names of 47 international players who withdrew from the draft Tuesday.
Also, two U.S. college players pulled out of the draft, North Carolina State junior Sacha Killeya-Jones and TCU sophomore Kouat Noi.
May 29 was the deadline for U.S. college players to withdraw from the draft while retaining NCAA eligibility.
Two other international players who are potential first-round selections also remain in the draft.
ESPN and CBS have Goga Bitadze, a Georgian national who plays in Montenegro, as the 17th-ranked prospect.
ESPN has Luka Samanic, a Croatian who plays in Slovenia, listed as the 28th-rated prospect.
The NBA draft is scheduled for June 20 at Barclays Centre in New York.
The full list of international players who are early-entry candidates for the 2019 NBA Draft, with height and birth year, as supplied by the league:
Goga Bitadze, Buducnost (Montenegro), 7-0, 1999
Yago Dos Santos, Paulistano (Brazil), 5-10, 1999
Sekou Doumbouya, Limoges (France), 6-8, 2000
Matas Jogela, Dzukija (Lithuania), 6-6, 1998
Marcos Louzada Silva, Franca (Brazil), 6-5, 1999
William McDowell-White, Baunach (Germany), 6-5, 1998
Adam Mokoka, Mega Bemax (Serbia), 6-5, 1998
Joshua Obiesie, Wurzburg (Germany), 6-6, 2000
David Okeke, Fiat Torino (Italy), 6-8, 1998
Luka Samanic, Olimpija (Slovenia), 6-10, 2000
Deividas Sirvydis, Rytas (Lithuania), 6-7, 2000
Yovel Zoosman, Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), 6-7, 1998
(Reuters/NAN)
