Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Stewart Jr. Enters 2021 NBA Draft Process; Eligible to Return
April 01, 2021 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball redshirt sophomore guard D.J. Stewart Jr. announced his plans to place his name in the 2021 NBA Draft process and go through the NBA's evaluation process on Thursday.
Stewart Jr. does not plan to hire an agent at this time, although he can sign with an NCAA-certified agent, receive feedback and still maintain his college eligibility during the evaluation process.
"First of all, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the talent to be able to play the game of basketball," Stewart Jr. said. "Playing in the NBA has always been a goal of mine since I was a child, and I've worked relentlessly to be able to achieve that goal."
"I want to thank my parents, my family, my coaching staff, my teammates and my Mississippi State family for their support during this process. With that being said, I have decided to enter the NBA draft process while maintaining my college eligibility."
Stewart Jr., an All-SEC Second-Team and an All-NIT Tournament Team selection, was one of four Power 5 players and one of 11 players nationally to secure over 500 points and 100 assists during the 2020-21 season. The three other Power 5 players include Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu, Minnesota's Marcus Carr and Oregon State's Ethan Thompson.
Stewart Jr. pumped home double figures in 26 of 33 outings, headed by nine 20-plus point performances. His 528 points are sixth-highest in program history for a sophomore. The Grace, Mississippi, native became the first player in program history to amass three consecutive 20-plus points performances in either NCAA or NIT action when he secured 20 points against Saint Louis (03/20), 22 points versus Richmond (03/25) and 23 points against Louisiana Tech (03/27).
Stewart Jr. is one of three SEC players to finish among the league's top 15 in 20-plus point games (9 – 5th), points (16.0 – T-9th), field goal percentage (41.0 – 10th), free throw percentage (80.6 – 11th), assists (3.1 – 12th), steals (1.4 – 13th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0 – 14th). The two additional SEC players were Florida's Tre Mann and Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr.
Stewart Jr.'s career-high is 32 points against Dayton (12/12), and his SEC season's best is 29 points at South Carolina (02/06). He drained the game-winning triple with two seconds remaining during State's NIT Quarterfinal victory over Richmond (03/25) and nearly compiled a triple-double with a career-best 10 assists, coupled with nine points and seven rebounds during the Maroon and White's SEC Tournament win over Kentucky (03/12).
Stewart Jr. was joined by Iverson Molinar and Tolu Smith to combine for 45.3 points per game, which marked the SEC's second-highest scoring trio during the 2020-21 campaign, only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart. The trio accounted for 72 combined games in double figures and three of the SEC's top 9 freshman-sophomore jumps in 2020-21. The Bulldogs produced a 10-2 record when all three members of the trio hit for double-digit points during the same game.
Subject to evolving public health conditions, the 2021 NBA Draft Combine is scheduled to take place Monday, June 21 through Sunday, June 27.
The deadline for an early entry player to withdraw from the 2021 NBA Draft is Monday, July 19 at 4 p.m. CT, while the deadline to apply for this year's draft is Sunday, May 30 at 10:59 p.m. CT.
The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, July 29 beginning at 7 p.m. CT with the first round televised by ESPN and ABC, and the second round airing on ESPN. Both rounds also will be available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.
Additional information regarding the 2021 NBA Draft Combine and 2021 NBA Draft, which includes the location for each event, will be announced at a later date as details are finalized.
Mississippi State captured a runner-up finish at the 2021 NIT as the Bulldogs earned a bid in postseason play for the third consecutive time when postseason tournament have been played. State won seven of its last 10 games, highlighted by a combined five NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball redshirt sophomore guard D.J. Stewart Jr. announced his plans to place his name in the 2021 NBA Draft process and go through the NBA's evaluation process on Thursday.
Stewart Jr. does not plan to hire an agent at this time, although he can sign with an NCAA-certified agent, receive feedback and still maintain his college eligibility during the evaluation process.
"First of all, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the talent to be able to play the game of basketball," Stewart Jr. said. "Playing in the NBA has always been a goal of mine since I was a child, and I've worked relentlessly to be able to achieve that goal."
"I want to thank my parents, my family, my coaching staff, my teammates and my Mississippi State family for their support during this process. With that being said, I have decided to enter the NBA draft process while maintaining my college eligibility."
Stewart Jr., an All-SEC Second-Team and an All-NIT Tournament Team selection, was one of four Power 5 players and one of 11 players nationally to secure over 500 points and 100 assists during the 2020-21 season. The three other Power 5 players include Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu, Minnesota's Marcus Carr and Oregon State's Ethan Thompson.
Stewart Jr. pumped home double figures in 26 of 33 outings, headed by nine 20-plus point performances. His 528 points are sixth-highest in program history for a sophomore. The Grace, Mississippi, native became the first player in program history to amass three consecutive 20-plus points performances in either NCAA or NIT action when he secured 20 points against Saint Louis (03/20), 22 points versus Richmond (03/25) and 23 points against Louisiana Tech (03/27).
Stewart Jr. is one of three SEC players to finish among the league's top 15 in 20-plus point games (9 – 5th), points (16.0 – T-9th), field goal percentage (41.0 – 10th), free throw percentage (80.6 – 11th), assists (3.1 – 12th), steals (1.4 – 13th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0 – 14th). The two additional SEC players were Florida's Tre Mann and Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr.
Stewart Jr.'s career-high is 32 points against Dayton (12/12), and his SEC season's best is 29 points at South Carolina (02/06). He drained the game-winning triple with two seconds remaining during State's NIT Quarterfinal victory over Richmond (03/25) and nearly compiled a triple-double with a career-best 10 assists, coupled with nine points and seven rebounds during the Maroon and White's SEC Tournament win over Kentucky (03/12).
Stewart Jr. was joined by Iverson Molinar and Tolu Smith to combine for 45.3 points per game, which marked the SEC's second-highest scoring trio during the 2020-21 campaign, only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart. The trio accounted for 72 combined games in double figures and three of the SEC's top 9 freshman-sophomore jumps in 2020-21. The Bulldogs produced a 10-2 record when all three members of the trio hit for double-digit points during the same game.
Subject to evolving public health conditions, the 2021 NBA Draft Combine is scheduled to take place Monday, June 21 through Sunday, June 27.
The deadline for an early entry player to withdraw from the 2021 NBA Draft is Monday, July 19 at 4 p.m. CT, while the deadline to apply for this year's draft is Sunday, May 30 at 10:59 p.m. CT.
The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, July 29 beginning at 7 p.m. CT with the first round televised by ESPN and ABC, and the second round airing on ESPN. Both rounds also will be available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.
Additional information regarding the 2021 NBA Draft Combine and 2021 NBA Draft, which includes the location for each event, will be announced at a later date as details are finalized.
Mississippi State captured a runner-up finish at the 2021 NIT as the Bulldogs earned a bid in postseason play for the third consecutive time when postseason tournament have been played. State won seven of its last 10 games, highlighted by a combined five NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballJosh Hubbard - "I'm Back"
Friday, April 17
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans & Players SEC Tournament Postgame vs. Auburn - 3/11/26
Thursday, March 12
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans Media Session - 3/9/26
Monday, March 09
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Josh Hubbard & Ja'Borri McGhee Postgame Press Conference vs. Georgia - 3/7/26
Sunday, March 08