Has Flory Bidunga made a decision on staying in draft vs. attending Louisville?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bidunga has not yet finalized his decision on the 2026 NBA Draft or Louisville.
- Bidunga declared for the 2026 NBA Draft but can withdraw and keep college eligibility.
- Bidunga measured 6-foot-7¾ without shoes and a 7-foot-3¼ wingspan.
Former Kansas basketball forward Flory Bidunga told reporters at this week’s NBA Combine he’s not yet made a decision on keeping his name in the 2026 NBA Draft pool or playing at transfer destination Louisville this upcoming school year.
“Not really,” he said, asked by NBA reporter Noah Weber if he’s finalized his future plans, “because I feel like it is a day-to-day thing. Obviously I am here. It is a great honor to be here. I just want to hear from them (NBA teams). I would say if I have a good seed (draft standing), the NBA is my dream, so I’ll probably be staying in for sure.”
Bidunga, who has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility, committed to Louisville on April 12. Bidunga — he has until May 27 to exit the draft if he wishes to remain eligible to play at Louisville — measured 6 feet, 7 and 3/4 inches without shoes (with a 7-3 and 1/4 wingspan and 8-10 and 1/2 standing reach) in official measurements at the Chicago Combine.
He was one of 39 players (of a pool of 70) to agree to participate in 5-on-5 camp games at the event.
According to SI.com Bidunga had eight points on 4-of-6 shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists, two turnovers and one block in his first game at Combine. In his next game, Bidunga, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds, two steals, and an ssist and a turnover.
He had a putback dunk that attracted a lot of attention on social media site X.
“That’s a good one (question),” Bidunga stated, asked by a reporter at Combine Media Day which way he might be leaning. “I mean I’m here getting a lot of feedback. (I’m) pretty confident about it. The NBA has been my dream since I picked up a basketball, so …” he added, not completing the thought.
By speaking with NBA representatives, he said he’s seeking “pretty much everything, feedback (on) how each team sees you as a player. What can you do when you get there?”
Bidunga seemed enthused about Louisville’s 2026-27 roster in a Combine interview with CBSports.com. The Cardinals are bringing in transfers Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad (Oregon), Alvaro Folgueiras (Iowa) and Karter Knox (Arkansas) as well as freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr. to go with returnee Adrian Wooley.
“They’re putting together a superteam,” Bidunga told CBS’ Isaac Trotter.
Trotter, has predicted Bidunga will ultimately play for Louisville this season.
Former KU guard Darryn Peterson is not participating in the 5-on-5 scrimmages at the NBA Combine.
Peterson has been a popular interview of teams and the media. He was interviewed on Thursday’s ESPN SportsCenter (by Brian Custer) about playing for Bill Self at KU during a one-and-done season.
“He was somebody I could rely on. He helped me get through it. I respect that he didn’t really talk about it much with me,” Peterson said of his unusual circumstance of having to miss 11 games (and pulling himself out of several other games) because of cramping issues, hamstring issues, a sprained ankle and/or illness.
“He knew we were all frustrated, but he coached me the same, like nothing was going on. So I respect him for that and appreciate him for that,” Peterson added.
On SportsCenter, Peterson offered the response he’s given NBA officials during one-on-one interviews at the Combine regarding his availability during the 2025-26 season.
“I was completely honest. I told them what happened. They knew previously because of the ESPN story that was put out (in which Peterson said his cramping issues were because of excess creatine in his system). I’ve been brutally honest. I harped on it being behind me. We figured out what it was and put it behind me. I feel better than ever.”
Asked if he could pinpoint the wildest question asked to him so far in interviews with NBA teams, Peterson said: “Most of mine were pretty straightforward. I thought it was funny when one of the teams asked me, ‘Of all the players in this class where would you rank yourself?’ I thought that was a no-brainer. We kind of laughed together in there when I said myself. I always bet on myself.”
Bidunga, by the way, said it was a pleasure playing on the same team as Peterson.
“He’s a really good player. He drew so much attention it made it easier for (the rest of) us,” Bidunga said, smiling.
