Otega Oweh sends emotional message to Kentucky fans after declaring for NBA Draft
After declaring for the NBA Draft, Otega Oweh took to Instagram to share his love for the Kentucky Wildcat family.
In the world of college sports, saying “Goodbye” is commonplace. That is what Kentucky guard Otega Oweh did on Tuesday…sort of.
Earlier this week, the junior guard announced that he had decided to enter his name in the NBA Draft but that he would still maintain the option to return to college for his senior season. That’s rather common for underclassmen who can go through the NBA Draft Combine in May and then take until the middle of June to decide whether or not to stay in the NBA Draft.
Despite the fact that Oweh has left open the possibility of coming back to Lexington, he posted a message for Kentucky fans on Instagram that sounded a lot like he was saying farewell.
He wrote, “To the best fans in the nation – Big Blue Nation, getting to play the game I love each day, knowing I have your support, alongside my family and friends, has truly been a dream come true. And I am incredibly blessed. I’m taking the next step and declaring for the NBA Draft, while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.”
Usually, players don’t post messages of that ilk to the fans unless they are fairly certain they are departing. Thus, it is fair to wonder if the NBA is where Oweh’s heart is.
On the other hand, his NBA future is far from a guarantee. The second-team All-SEC guard is ranked by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony as just the 86th-best prospect in the Draft at this time.
Keep in mind that the NBA Draft is only two rounds of 30 picks each. Therefore, if Givony is correct in his assessment, Oweh has some work to do in the pre-draft process if he plans on becoming a draft pick.
What’s more, second-round picks in the NBA are not given fully guaranteed rookie contracts. Therefore, if Oweh learns that he is likely to be a second-round selection, then he might be wise to return to Kentucky, where he could guarantee himself an NIL payday.
Of course, Wildcat fans would love to have Oweh back in the fold next year to help the program compete for a National Championship. However, there is a chance that he has played his final game in a Kentucky uniform, and perhaps that’s why he felt the need to send a message to Big Blue Nation.
