Shaedon Sharpe will reportedly declare for NBA Draft, stay in

Shaedon Sharpe’s time in Lexington is over before it got started. The five-star freshman will reportedly declare for the 2022 NBA Draft and sign with an agent, forgoing his college eligibility.

Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to break the news on Thursday.

Kentucky freshman Shaedon Sharpe will declare for the 2022 NBA Draft, and stay in, team sources tell me and @KyleTucker_ATH. NBA teams project Sharpe as a potential high draft lottery pick.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 21, 2022

Just minutes before The Athletic’s report, ESPN broke the news that Sharpe officially graduated from high school in May of 2021, thus making him eligible for the draft.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony says Sharpe’s diploma will be sent to the league office, paving way for his clearance.

A representative of Shaedon Sharpe's high school, Dream City Christian, confirmed to ESPN he graduated in May of 2021. His diploma will be sent to the NBA league office, clearing the way for him to be added to the NBA Draft early-entry list. From January: https://t.co/TiiIv9e1BS

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 21, 2022

NBA rules state a player must be 19 years of age the year of the draft, along with being one year removed from high school by the start of the following NBA season. Previous reports claimed Sharpe didn’t officially graduate until December, missing the October deadline to start the NBA season. With paperwork now reportedly proving he graduated in May, his eligibility is no longer up for debate.

Sharpe, rated as the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2022 before enrolling early, played high school games as late as October for Dream City Christian. He joined the Kentucky basketball program in January, sitting out the final 20 games of the season for the Wildcats.

With that, Sharpe’s time in Lexington is over.