Duke Blue Devils guard RJ Barrett has made the decision to leave after his freshman season to enter the NBA draft, he announced Wednesday on social media.
“It was amazing to play for Coach K, play for the brotherhood,” Barrett said in a video posted to Twitter and Instagram. “It was a dream of mine to play at Duke ever since I was a young kid. It’s also a dream of mine to play in the NBA and have great success there. …
“I’m looking forward to coming back and supporting the Blue Devils any way I can. Just wanted to thank you for everything.”
I want to thank God, my family, my coaches and everyone that has helped me reach this decision 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/z3GwdcV2ht
— Rj Barrett (@RjBarrett6) April 10, 2019
He is ranked No. 3 in the ESPN 100 among NBA draft prospects.
Barrett, who was an AP first-team All-America selection along with teammate Zion Williamson, led the Blue Devils with 22.9 points, grabbed 7.5 rebounds and dished 4.1 assists per game on a team that came a game short of the Final Four.
A new NCAA rule allows a player who has declared for the draft to return to school even if he has enlisted the services of an agent to help him test his professional prospects. There are several stipulations attached, and if the player returns to school, he must end the relationship with the agent. The deadline to pull out of the draft is May 29.