Louisville basketball is emerging as one of the top programs in the nation for the 2025-26 season, and a lot of that has to do with their historic 5-star commit, Mikel Brown Jr. The 6-foot-5 point guard from DME Academy has had one of the best summers in the nation as the incoming freshman went completely viral from his FIBA U19 World Cup performances.
Brown is ranked as high as No. 6 in the 2026 cycle and the top point guard, making it clear that he has tremendous potential. Well, for anyone who doubted his size or skills, they were quickly proven wrong once he represented Team USA in Switzerland, as he was the main event.
However, with Brown being the main event and leading Team USA in points, assists, efficiency, and made 3-pointers, he just made one thing for sure, and that is that the 5-star phenom is going to be a one-and-done superstar.
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NBA mock draft just confirmed Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr is set for a historic year
With Brown being a top 10 recruit in the 2026 cycle, it was quickly rumored that he would be an NBA Lottery Draft pick. However, experts and NBA Scouts have to wait and see if these high school superstars can make the next jump to college basketball.
While he has yet to play a minute of college basketball, his time in Switzerland has just confirmed that he is poised to be an NBA Lottery pick in 2026. ESPN recently crushed Louisville fans' dreams that he could potentially return for a sophomore season by predicting Brown to be the No. 5 overall pick. Now, CBS just put the cherry on top and pretty much ended any hope of Brown playing for Louisville for more than one season.
Kyle Boone of CBS released a complete first-round 2026 NBA mock draft, and it featured Louisville's incoming 5-star recruit. Boone projects Brown to be selected No. 4 overall, making it the highest in any mock draft he has been chosen.
It is time for Louisville fans to accept that Brown is going to be a one-and-done superstar, and now enjoy it while he is here. He was the first domino to commit to Kelsey, and now Louisville is back and better than ever.
If Brown is selected No. 4 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, that can only mean he had a breakout season and dominated his freshman campaign. While it would be sad for him to leave after just one season, if that is the case, there is valid reasoning to think that Louisville had a deep March Madness run, and the 5-star guard led them to another historic season.
Brown is expected to be Kelsey's No. 1 guy next season, and hopefully not only guide Louisville to their first March Madness win since Donovan Mitchell in 2017, but hopefully their first Final Four run since 2013.
Related: Mikel Brown Jr. brings Louisville exactly what they've craved since Donovan Mitchell
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.