Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas may have played his last game in college back in the Sweet 16 of this year’s national tournament.
The deadline for players to withdraw from this year’s NBA Draft and keep their college eligibility is on Wednesday, May 27. For the Arkansas Razorbacks, coached by John Calipari, two of their players from the 2025-26 season are expected to be first round picks in the draft: Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. The latter has already expressed that he plans on staying in the draft process, while the former has been undecided on his future for weeks now.
Just a day before the said deadline, user @MeleekMuse on X/Twitter reported that a Roc Nation official has told NBA news portal “The Consensus NBA” that Thomas has decided to keep his name in the 2026 NBA Draft. This comes after Thomas has reportedly impressed scouts during the draft combine and is happy with how his draft stock is going. Thomas now foregoes the remaining years of his college basketball eligibility.
Per ESPN’s latest mock draft, Thomas is expected to be picked by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 28th overall pick in the first round, while his teammate, Darius Acuff, is projected as the sixth pick to the Brooklyn Nets. With both standout backcourt players departing their Arkansas-based program, coach John Calipari now searches for his next dynamic backcourt duo.
John Calipari previously compared Meleek Thomas to NBA legend Rip Hamilton
Over the course of his decades-long coaching career, John Calipari is considered by many as one of the best coaches when it comes to producing NBA-ready talent. His long legacy of players becoming NBA All-Stars continues to grow, and there is no doubt that Meleek Thomas would want to join that mantle. But, in an interview with CBS Sports, Calipari surprisingly compared Thomas to an NBA player that didn’t play for him: 2004 NBA Champion Rip Hamilton.
@cbssportscbbJohn Calipari gave Meleek Thomas his player comp on Inside College Basketball Now with Jon Rothstein 🔥 See the Razorbacks in action on Saturday at 5:30PM ET when they take on Houston on CBS and Paramount+♬ Drake style/HIPHOP beat(1491552) – Burning Man
“Well, this guy didn’t play for me, but I’m a big fan and been a friend (of) Rip Hamilton. So, Rip Hamilton for Meleek. But, Rip got shots off before he caught the ball. How he flew around, knew how to use screens, knew how to set men up, knew how to get them to close where he could go and do something. That’s who he could be, and that’s pretty lofty,” Calipari shared. (0:04)
Also Read:
Arkansas Coach John Calipari Visits 5-Star Recruit Meleek Thomas, Watches Dominant Showing In-Person
Koa Peat and Meleek Thomas Receive Advice on Draft Hopes as NBA Executives Make Feelings Clear
Darius Acuff Jr And Meleek Thomas Deliver Trash Talk to Challenge Each Other Ahead of the NBA Draft
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