National Basketball Association

Kentucky's Gilgeous-Alexander to enter NBA draft, hire agent

Published Apr. 9, 2018 8:13 p.m. ET

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Kentucky freshman point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says he will enter the NBA draft pool and hire an agent.

Gilgeous-Alexander's decision on Monday follows announcements last week by Wildcats underclassmen Kevin Knox and PJ Washington to enter the June 21 draft. Knox plans to hire an agent and will not return while Washington has said he wanted to test the waters.

The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander had a team-high 189 assists and was Kentucky's No. 2 scorer at 14.4 points per game last season. Projected as a first-round selection and possible lottery pick, Gilgeous-Alexander thanked fans, coaches and teammates in a statement and added, ''Although a lot of people didn't know a kid from Hamilton, Canada, would be in this position, the coaching staff believed in me as much as I believed in myself to get to this point.''

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