Kentucky's Malachi Moreno declares for draft but maintains eligibility
Malachi Moreno, Kentucky basketball's leading rebounder during the 2025-26 season, is entering the NBA draft. He will maintain college eligibility.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball big man Malachi Moreno is following in the footsteps of Antonio Reeves and Otega Oweh . Just as those two high-scoring guards did the past two years, Moreno declared for the NBA draft Monday. And just as that pair did, Moreno declared while maintaining his college eligibility.
That would allow Moreno to return to college for his sophomore season. If he does return, he will be back at UK with coach Mark Pope , he announced on social media. View this post on Instagram Before a potential encore college campaign with the Wildcats , Moreno will go through the draft process.
That includes participating in next month's NBA draft combine in Chicago, as well as pre-draft workouts with various teams. A 7-foot, 250-pound center, Moreno had a standout freshman season for Kentucky . He appeared in all 36 games, making 30 starts.
Moreno led the team in rebounds (6. 3) and blocks (1. 47) per game; his blocks average ranked eighth among SEC players.