North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson (8) reacts after a dunk against Florida State in the second half on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
rwillett@newsobserver.com
Caleb Wilson said that, following the conclusion of his freshman season, he’d make a list of pros and cons before coming to his decision to either return to college or go pro.
It appears Wilson has made up his mind.
Wilson declared his intention to enter the 2026 NBA Draft on Friday night after an injury-shortened freshman season at UNC, per an informal Instagram post.
A caption accompanying a post with a slideshow of photos from his freshman year read: “never take it for granted 🩵 #8out.” Comments from his teammates gave thanks and congratulations.
The 6-foot-10 forward and projected lottery pick averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 57.8% from the field. He emerged in his shortened season as one of the top players in a highly regarded freshman class.
Wilson missed the final nine games of UNC’s season due to hand injuries, including a season-ending thumb surgery in March, just ahead of UNC’s rematch against Duke on March 7.
Wilson earned first-team All-ACC and All-Freshman honors, and was named a second-team All-American, which qualifies his jersey to hang in the rafters. He scored in double figures in all 24 games he played and set multiple UNC freshman records in the process.
Willson’s departure comes amid program instability following the firing of head coach Hubert Davis on Tuesday night. Wilson is widely projected as a top-five NBA pick.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 10:31 PM.