Former Kansas Jayhawks star Ochai Agbaji invited to watch 2022 NBA Draft in green room
Former University of Kansas men’s basketball guard Ochai Agbaji has been invited to sit in the green room with family members at the June 23 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported Monday.
A source close to the first-team All-American, Big 12 player of the year and MVP of the Final Four confirmed the report to The Star on Monday night.
Agbaji is expected to be joined by at least 15 other players vying for spots in in the 14-team lottery. The others, according to Givony, are: Paolo Banchero, Malaki Branham, Johnny Davis, Dyson Daniels, Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Duren, AJ Griffin, Chet Holmgren, Jaden Ivey, Ben Mathurin, Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe, Jabari Smith, Jeremy Sochan and Mark Williams.
Players who sit in the green room walk to the stage after they are selected, receive a cap and handshake from NBA commissioner Adam Silver then take part in a short interview with an ESPN reporter shown on the cable network.
Agbaji, a graduate of Oak Park High, worked out for the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, the Hawks reported on Twitter. On Friday, he worked out for the Washington Wizards.
He also has had workouts with the Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. He told the Washington media after his individual workout he would work out for the New York Knicks this week.
ESPN currently projects Agbaji will be taken at No. 15 overall by Charlotte. The top three picks in the draft are expected to be Holmgren of Gonzaga, Banchero of Duke and Smith of Auburn.
“While the (Charlotte) frontcourt will surely be an area for improvement this offseason, adding depth on the wing should also be a priority, as starting small forward Gordon Hayward is often injured and backup Kelly Oubre Jr. is entering the final season of his contract,” Givony wrote, explaining his pick of Agbaji to Charlotte.
“Agbaji is one of the best shooters in the draft who looks like a relatively plug-and-play, 3-and-D prospect who comes off a national championship in which he won the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. The fact that he’s 22 years old may make him even more attractive to the Hornets, who are clearly looking for immediate results after firing coach James Borrego,” Givony added.
Asked what he tries to accomplish in individual workouts with teams, Agbaji told the Washington media on Friday: “Going out there you want to show them what they haven’t seen obviously. You also want to show them what you can do and show you can do it at a high level consistently, too. I try to show a little bit of my game, stuff I can do.”
Asked what he brings to an NBA team, Agbaji said: “Shooting the ball, making athletic plays, plus my defense, my competitiveness overall and my winning spirit.”
