Tounde Yessoufou Joins St. John's for $7 Million, Withdrawing From 2026 NBA Draft
Updated
Updated · SB Nation · May 28
Tounde Yessoufou Joins St. John's for $7 Million, Withdrawing From 2026 NBA Draft
20 articles · Updated · SB Nation · May 28
$7 million-plus in NIL money helped St. John's secure Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou at the draft withdrawal deadline, turning a likely late first- or early second-round NBA prospect back into a college star.
Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points as a freshman and gives Rick Pitino the gritty two-way wing St. John's needed, even as his 29% three-point shooting and limited playmaking remain the main NBA questions.
The move caps Pitino's push for a Final Four-caliber roster after consecutive deep runs, with Quinn Ellis, Ian Jackson and Donnie Freeman already in place around Yessoufou.
The payout puts Yessoufou among college basketball's highest-paid players and underscores how NIL is increasingly outbidding the NBA's lower first-round economics for top returnees.
Has NIL money made staying in college a better financial choice than the NBA for some top prospects?
Are NIL-fueled 'super-teams' at powerhouse schools ending the era of the March Madness Cinderella story?