Jeremiah Fears makes bombshell move to enter NBA 2025 Draft as one of the top 10 prospects to watch

Modified Apr 03, 2025 03:33 GMT

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Oklahoma at Connecticut - Source: Imagn — ESPN's Shams Charania reports that Oklahoma freshman Jeremiah Fears has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft (Image credit: Imagn)

After a 67-59 loss to the University of Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news on Wednesday, reporting that Fears will forego his remaining three years of eligibility and declare for the 2025 NBA Draft.

According to Charania, Fears is now the No. 7 ranked draft prospect in ESPN's mock draft and No. 9 on Sportskeeda's latest NBA mock draft.

"Oklahoma freshman Jeremiah Fears is entering the 2025 NBA draft and forgoing his remaining college eligibility, he tells ESPN. The SEC all-freshman guard is the No. 7 prospect in ESPN's NBA draft projections."

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Fears, who was an all-freshman guard in the SEC, finished the 2024-25 NCAA season averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. While he shot just 28.4% from downtown during the regular season, he showed during his lone March Madness game that he can be an efficient scorer from 3-point land.

In Oklahoma's March Madness loss to UConn on March 21, Fears logged 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals over 38 minutes of action, while shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc.

"I was lucky to walk into a great situation" - Jeremiah Fears opens up on his freshman year with Oklahoma, plan to work on his shooting before the NBA Draft

Along with Shams Charania's report that Jeremiah Fears was declaring for the NBA Draft, ESPN reporter Jonathan Givony put out a separate report regarding Fears entering the draft.

In it, the freshman standout spoke about how growing up in a basketball family helped him become the player he is today.

Apart his father playing D1 basketball, and his older brother playing alongside him in high school, Fears' route to the NBA through Oklahoma is one that he says he feels lucky to have experienced.

"I was lucky to walk into a great situation at Oklahoma with a lot of opportunity. I had great teammates and coaches working with me every day to help a young freshman achieve his dreams."

Now, with the NBA Draft 12 weeks away, Fears will look to refine his shooting alongside former NBA sharpshooter Mike Miller.

Miller, who represents Fears as an agent and helps train the aspiring guard, will play an integral role in making sure that Fears is as NBA-ready as he could possibly be come June 25.

About the author

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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Edited by Evan Bell