LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons will hire an agent and declare for the NBA draft, his mother confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Monday.
Simmons' mother, Julie Simmons, told USA TODAY Sports that her son was declaring for the NBA draft, where he could go as high as No. 1 overall. ESPN was the first outlet to report that Simmons was leaving the college game behind.
"I'm making it official," Simmons told ESPN.
Simmons, a 6-10 native of Melbourne, Australia, earned Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year honors as he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, numbers that ranked him within the Top 5 in each category in the SEC at the end of the regular season.
“It has been a joy coaching him. Ben brought a great deal of excitement to our team and our program,” LSU head coach Johnny Jones said last week. “I would take a one-and-done like Ben again.”
LSU (19-14, 11-7 in SEC) failed to make the NCAA tournament, and the Tigers declined an invitation to the NIT.
