Kingston Flemings Makes His NBA Draft Decision Official

Mar 21, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) drives to the hoop past Texas A&M Aggies guard Ali Dibba (6) during the second half of a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Kingston Flemings Makes His NBA Draft Decision Official

Originally posted on Houston Cougars on SI
By Maanav Gupta | Last updated Apr 19, 2026 2:07 PM ET

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Kingston Flemings has now made it official. The Houston Cougars' freshman All-American point guard still had yet to make an announcement on his future since the season ended, but that time finally arrived.

Flemings announced in a press conference on Sunday at Fertitta Center alongside coach Kelvin Sampson that he will be declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft.

This was a widely expected decision that was not a surprise at all. There was never really a chance that Flemings would come back for his sophomore year given the kind of freshman season he had and the attention he got from NBA scouts. Flemings is ranked the No. 7 prospect in the 2026 draft according to ESPN and is almost guaranteed to be a top-10 pick.

Flemings will go down as arguably the greatest Houston basketball freshman ever with his record-breaking year. The San Antonio native averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48 percent from the field. Flemings also shot 39 percent from three and 85 percent from the free-throw line.

Flemings was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award and made it onto the All-Big 12 First Team and Freshman Team, besides being a consensus All-American. He also set the all-time freshman scoring and assist mark at Houston while putting up a career-high 42 points, the school's freshman single-game scoring record.

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Flemings was a five-star recruit out of Brennan High School according to 247 Composite, but wasn't as highly touted or talked about coming into the season. The 19-year-old's incredible play made him rocket up the draft boards all the way up into the top-five for the majority of the season.

While his scoring cooled down a little down the stretch, he still showed his amazing offensive skillset and scoring ability while improving his defense in Kelvin Sampson's system. Flemings was explosive out of the gate with lightning speed and a special ability to score at the rim. His mid-range shot was effective, and he also improved his 3-point shot.

Flemings was a freshman, but truly led Houston on the offensive side of the ball as the team's leading scorer. He joins fellow Houston freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. in declaring for the draft. The two freshmen were a huge part of Houston's season and made the class of 2025 UH's highest recruiting class ever. Cenac Jr. is also expected to be a lottery pick.

This article first appeared on Houston Cougars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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