Gideon George Withdraws From NBA Draft, Returning to BYU For Final Year

After multiple NBA workouts, Gideon George is withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to BYU for his final season. Jeff Goodman was the first to report the news and multiple sources confirmed with me.

Gideon was expected to ultimately withdraw from the draft and return to BYU, but he made it official before the June 1 deadline. He had workouts with the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and was in Chicago last week doing pre-draft workouts with his agent and other NBA Draft prospects.

Next season will be Gideon’s third at BYU after starting his career at the JUCO ranks. Gideon was BYU’s fourth leading scorer this past year, averaging 8.8 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 35% from three. His three point shooting turned around the second half of the season, and peaked in a career high 27-point performance on 5-9 three-point shooting versus Northern Iowa in the NIT second round. If he can continue that shooting he showed the last two months of the season, he will definitely get looks from NBA teams next year.

Gideon initially entered the transfer portal in mid-April, but had a change of heart days later and decided to withdraw. He’ll be one of the key cogs for BYU with his 6-foot-6 frame and 7-foot wingspan.

BYU still has two scholarships to fill for next season’s roster. I wrote about who BYU is pursuing and other BYU Hoops news in my most recent mailbag.