Michigan State men’s basketball’s leader and unifier, Jeremy Fears Jr., announced he will withdraw his name from consideration in the NBA Draft and retain his two years of remaining eligibility at MSU.
The NCAA’s leader in assists last season was reported to stay in East Lansing by CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein Wednesday night.
Fears took to his Instagram story Wednesday night to express his gratitude towards head coach Tom Izzo for taking a chance on him and expressed his loyalty to the program.
"thanks for takin a chance on the youngin. Forever loyal," the MSU point guard wrote.
Fears measured 6 feet tall without shoes with a 6-foot-4 wingspan and weighed 196 pounds at the NBA Combine. Fears scored 26 points with 16 assists in his two 5-on-5 scrimmages. While his official measurements were underwhelming for his position, he stood out in scrimmages as a key facilitator.
In mock drafts, Fears was consistently slotted in the second round. Fears said at the combine he sees himself as a first-round talent.
Fears was projected to land with the Phoenix Suns as the 47th pick in a May 19 mock draft by ESPN’s Jeremy Woo.
In the 2025-26 season, Fears averaged 15.4 points, 9.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game as the team's lead ball handler. Fears was the reason for many of the team’s wins this season — his presence on the court consistently lifted the abilities of his teammates. He led the Spartans with 32.4 minutes per game, playing close to 40 in the postseason.
MSU welcomes four freshmen this fall. Two are guards, Jasiah Jervis and Carlos Medlock Jr., who will learn under Fears in his redshirt junior season.
Last year, MSU freshman guard Jase Richardson was drafted 25th overall by the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. MSU has had eight players drafted in the NBA within the last decade.
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