Malachi Moreno is withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to Kentucky Basketball, he announced Sunday night on Instagram and Twitter.
Moreno was testing the waters and even getting first-round buzz leading into the May 27 NCAA deadline to withdraw from the draft, but in the end, he’ll stay at Kentucky for another season in hopes of becoming a higher pick in the 2027 draft.
Moreno is coming off an impressive freshman season in which he became the starting center after originally being viewed
as a developmental backup for Year 1. In 36 games (30 starts), the Georgetown (KY) native averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 58.2% from the field.
Head coach Mark Pope previously stated that he expects Moreno to be the best center in America when the 2026-27 college basketball season tips off.
MASSIVE news for the Cats. We’ll have more on this story shortly…











