Canadian A.J. Lawson will test the NBA waters this spring in hopes of being selected in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Lawson announced Wednesday that he'll enter his name into the NBA Draft pool but will not hire an agent, which will allow him to return to school if he pulls his name out by May 29.
thank you 🙏🏾🙇🏽♂️🐔 #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/Zjz5kZ6BXQ
— AJ Lawson ⚡️ (@ItsAJLawson) April 17, 2019
“Thank you to the fans, coaches, staff and my teammates for a fantastic freshman year,” Lawson said in a press release. “I want to thank God for his blessings. The NBA has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I have decided to explore my possibilities.
"I will not be hiring an agent, but will be entering my name in the 2019 NBA Draft.”
Lawson decided to reclassify from the 2019 class to 2018 class last summer following a strong high-school year at GTA Prep in Mississauga, Ontario.
OH MY, AJ LAWSON! 😱 pic.twitter.com/o2GK2rK2V8
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 20, 2019
He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after averaging 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 29 games.
"We are very excited for A.J. and the opportunity that he has to go through the process and test the NBA waters," South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said in the release. "He has worked extremely hard on the court to put himself in this position, and now, with declaring for the draft, he will be able to gather information and feedback from those at the next level.”
Lawson joins nine other Canadians for a total of 10 who have declared for the 2019 Draft class.
