April 1 (UPI) -- Oklahoma State star freshman Cade Cunningham announced Thursday he will enter this year's NBA Draft after just one season with the Cowboys.
The 6-foot-8 point guard's decision to go pro was expected after he took part in Senior Night activities prior to the Cowboys' game against Oklahoma on March 1 in Stillwater.
The 19-year-old Cunningham, however, remained quiet about his NBA future after the Cowboys' NCAA tournament loss to Oregon State on March 21.
Cunningham, who is widely considered the top prospect in the 2021 draft class, finally made his announcement during a news conference Thursday at Gallagher-Iba Arena with Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton next to him.
"It's hard to make that decision in the moment, so I just wanted to wait until my head was level," Cunningham said. "But I was just blessed to have that opportunity to be able to enter the draft. I felt like I had did a lot of the work early to be in that position."
Cunningham, who earned the Wayman Tisdale Award as the top freshman in college basketball, led the Big 12 Conference in scoring with 20.1 points per game this season. He also ranked inside the top 10 in rebounding (ninth), field goal percentage (eighth) and free throw percentage (third).
