Louisville basketball will lose some key pieces this offseason, as the Cardinals know they will not have Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, and J’Vonne Hadley next season. When looking at Louisville’s roster and trying to map out who will be on it, many will also circle Mikel Brown Jr. and assume the 5-star freshman will not be back next season and will declare for the NBA Draft. Or will he?
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The true freshman is trending to be a projected top 10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, despite missing 14 games, including the Cardinals' two ACC Tournament and two NCAA Tournament games. With Brown almost as a lock to be a top 10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, everyone is assuming he will declare for the draft sooner rather than later, but in a recent video captured with a fan, Brown doesn’t shoot down the idea of returning to Louisville.
Mikel Brown Jr. 'thinking' about returning to Louisville
Brown entered the season with extremely high expectations, as he was coming off a dominant gold medal run with Team USA and was projected as high as the No. 4 overall pick in NBA mock drafts. However, his season didn’t go according to plan, as he suffered a back injury that forced him to miss eight straight games in the middle of the year and the last six games of the season.
Brown was clearly emotional after the Cardinals' season came to an end, as the 5-star freshman wanted to be out there with his teammates and live his dream of playing in March Madness. However, his back injury forced him to watch from the sidelines, and now, with Louisville’s season cut short, Cardinals fans are trying to convince Brown to return for one more season.
“You've got to come back. You have to redeem yourself,” the Louisville Cardinals fan stated. “I low-key do. I’m thinking about it.” Brown responded with to the Cardinals fan.
Brown was Louisville’s second-highest-rated commit in program history, as he ranked No. 6 in the 2025 cycle and the No. 1 point guard. It didn’t go the way the fans, or he, had hoped, but another season could solve any what-ifs and immediately make Louisville a National Title contender.
However, it is hard to imagine a 19-year-old turning down the NBA Draft when he is being told he will be a top 10 pick, and a lot of mock drafts have the Dallas Mavericks selecting him, which means he would be paired up with Cooper Flagg and could get mentored by future Hall of Famer and NBA champion Kyrie Irving.
But this is now the second time Brown has been on camera, making it clear he is considering all options and hasn’t gone out and said he is leaving Louisville or declaring for the draft. So, for now, Louisville fans are going to cross their fingers and keep praying until they see an official statement from Brown.
Related: Making the case for Mikel Brown Jr. to stun everyone and return to Louisville next season
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