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    University of Louisville freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. told ESPN Andscape that he plans to enter the 2026 NBA draft.

    Brown averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in 21 games for the Cardinals during the 2025-26 season. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder missed 14 games with a lower back injury, including the NCAA tournament and Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, but says he expects to take part in predraft workouts for teams.

    ESPN’s Jeremy Woo projects Brown will be picked seventh overall in the draft.

    “Obviously, it’s just been a dream of mine to be able to be in this position,” Brown told ESPN Andscape. “The little kid in me would freaking scream just to know that I have an opportunity to play at the highest level, which has been a dream of mine since I started picking up a basketball. So yeah, I’ll be taking that next step.”

    Brown lived up his hype when he was able to play for the Cardinals this season.

    The former DME Academy (Fla.) star was ranked No. 8 in the 2025 ESPN SCNext 100 before joining Louisville. Brown scored a season-high 45 points against NC State on Feb. 9, tying the Cardinals’ single-game scoring record set by Wes Unseld in 1967 and setting a freshman record for both the program and the ACC. The 2026 All-ACC third-team selection was named Associated Player of the Week after the performance.

    Brown, however, believes his breakthrough performance was scoring 29 points in a 96-88 win against in-state rival Kentucky on Nov. 11, 2025, the third game of the seasno.

    “Scoring 45 definitely was different,” Brown, 20, said. “But everybody knows that Kentucky game just proved a point. That game, obviously, it’s just a big rivalry and meant a lot to our fans, meant a lot to their fans, and it meant a lot to the game of basketball. That rivalry is definitely one of the premier rivalries in this sport. So, to be able to play in that atmosphere and to do what I did put me on the map even more.

    “Yeah, that 45-point game was big. But I’ll definitely say that Kentucky game is when I felt like I just made a statement like, ‘Hey, I’m here. I’m here to stay.’ “

    Mikel Brown Jr. dribbles the ball Andrija Jelavic
    Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (left) said his breakthrough performance came against in-state rival Kentucky when he had 29 points in a 96-88 win against the Wildcats on Nov. 11, 2025.

    Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

    Brown is a playmaker and scorer with great athleticism who also averaged 2.6 made 3-pointers per game. His biggest question mark entering the NBA draft evaluation process will be his health.

    Brown has been hampered by a strained back since November and sat out more than a month beginning in mid-December but said he probably returned to action too early when he played against Virginia Tech on Jan. 24.

    He played in 11 more games, including the 45-point outburst against NC State, before being sidelined indefinitely. His last game was Feb. 28. The Orlando, Florida, native said it pained him to watch Louisville play without him in the NCAA tournament and ACC tournament but that he was comforted by strong support from his Louisville teammates.

    “As a competitor, it just hurt and it ate me up inside that I just couldn’t go out there and battle with the guys,” Brown said. “So, I came back, played those next 11 games, did better. Sitting definitely taught me a lot, allowed me to see the game from a different lens and to be able to go back and apply it. It definitely helped me in that 11-game stretch.

    “[My back] really was messed up, but I just kept trying to play through it. And then eventually it just led me to the decision that I wasn’t going to play in both tournaments — the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament — just because I’m not trained to go half speed at all. I always want to go full speed in everything I do, whether that’s me working out or playing a game. I just wasn’t able to do that at the time. So, I just felt like it was best for me to just sit out.”

    Mikel Brown Jr. (center) with his family
    Mikel Brown Jr. (center) with his family, from left to right: brother Zackariah Brown, mother Marisela Caraballo, Brown Jr., father Christopher Brown and sister Arianna Brown.

    Brown family

    Brown said his back injury is improving. He is receiving treatment daily and he has been working out. He anticipates he will work out for teams during the draft process and play in NBA Summer League in July. Brown said the challenge of his back injury helped his maturity.

    “Obviously, this season was very challenging for me not to be able to compete just because of my physical health,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, I hated to be that way, but I just wasn’t able to just get out there and play. So, just me maturing and just learning so much about the game this past year meant a lot to me, and it just changed my mindset.

    “I definitely just took that next step as being that leader of the team and being the most vocal on the team. I know what I’m capable of and I feel that I prepared myself for the next level, and I will continue to work hard and prepare for it even more so.”

    Brown said he has talked to former AAU teammate VJ Edgecombe, a Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard, in detail about the NBA draft day experience. Brown is part of the 2026 NBA draft class projected to be one of the best in league history, featuring prospects such as BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. One NBA scout told Andscape that even with the back issue, Brown is expected to be a top-10 selection.

    “This class is extremely loaded,” Brown said. “I know most of these guys because I played against them throughout my high school career and I played some of them in my college career. I’m pretty familiar with those guys. So, to be able to compete with them every single game and every single workout, it means a lot to me just because I’m competing with the best of the best. This draft class is going to be very special.”

    Mikel Brown Jr. with Donovan Mitchell
    Guard Mikel Brown Jr. (right) consulted with his family and former Louisville Cardinal and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (left) before declaring for the NBA draft.

    Brown family

    Before deciding to go pro, Brown said he consulted with his family as well as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who attended Louisville. Brown will be represented by Seros Partners.

    Brown met Mitchell while playing for Overtime Elite in Atlanta during his junior year of high school. Since then, the seven-time NBA All-Star has been a mentor to Brown and played a role in him attending Louisville. Brown also played well at Mitchell’s SPIDA Elite Camp last summer.

    “Me and Don have been talking about this since we first started talking,” Brown said. “When he first saw me play, he was like, ‘Man, you got a chance.’ And we talk about it all the time. I constantly ask him questions, ‘What does it take? What do I need to start applying into my routine that all the other pros do in the league?’ He’s just like, ‘Man, just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re doing all the right things.’

    “He just always said — excuse my language — but he was like, ‘Listen, I’m going to bust your a‑‑ when you get up to this level. But keep doing what you doing.’ So, I’m looking forward to talking to him more and just continuing to ask him questions about how it works and all the stuff that goes on in the league.”

    While it was just one season, Brown said the University of Louisville and the city of Louisville have made a lasting impact on him.

    “The experience was great,” Brown said. “The season definitely didn’t go as I wanted it to go. I wanted to come out with a national championship and be a big role in that. But I’m following God’s will. And I’d like to say thank you just because Louisville put me on a platform to compete at the highest level of college basketball, and it showed me a lot of love.

    “The fans were amazing. When I go out and go to sign papers and jerseys, they show a lot of love. The city of Louisville helped me learn a lot and supported me, so I can’t thank them enough.”

    The post Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. set to enter 2026 NBA draft appeared first on Andscape.

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