Illinois Big Man Kofi Cockburn Surprisingly Enters Transfer Portal

After the Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team had a disappointing exit prior to the Sweet 16 of March Madness, star center Kofi Cockburn declared for the NBA Draft. Like many players, Cockburn wanted to test the waters, but kept the door open for a potential return to college basketball if the draft result doesn’t go his way.

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However, it now looks like Cockburn might return to college, just not with Illinois. A big report dropped on Thursday afternoon that Kofi Cockburn has entered the transfer portal.

7’ Kofi Cockburn, who was a 2nd-team All-American & 1st-team All-Big 10, will enter the transfer portal, while keeping his name in the NBA Draft. @kxng_alpha , who averaged 17.7 points & 9.5 rebounds this season, is exploring all options. He can instantly elevate any program.🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/a9VYNiWPlp

— 𝒜𝓃𝒹𝓇ℯ𝓌 𝒮𝓁𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇 (@Andrew__Slater) July 1, 2021

Kofi Cockburn has until July 7 to decide to withdraw from the NBA Draft and maintain his college eligibility. The star center previously indicated that he had no intention of doing that.

“Sorry, I’m not coming back,” Cockburn told WCIA-3’s Marlee Weirda last month via 247 Sports. “I’m 100% in. Going pro has been a goal for me since my freshman year of high school, and right now I feel like I’m really confident with the work I’ve put in. The thing that learned the most from Illinois was consistency from Coach Underwood, just being consistent everyday. He believes in progress as much as I do, and I feel like me and him really connected.”

It seems like Kofi Cockburn may have had a change of heart based on the information he has been receiving on where he may be drafted. Either way, it looks like a return to Illinois is off the table at this point.

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