A trio of Tennessee basketball standouts from its 2025-26 squad that made a third-straight trip to the Elite Eight have been invited to the NBA Draft Combine. Freshman phenom Nate Ament and graduating seniors Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Felix Okpara will all take part in the event in hopes of raising their draft stocks.
In total, it’ll be 73 players participating in the event. It will be held from May 10-17 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.
A pair of former Vols will also be in attendance. Both on the 2023-24 team that made the Elite Eight, Arizona forward Tobe Awaka and Baylor guard Cam Carr have been invited to compete, as well.
The NBA announced today that 73 players have been invited to the AWS NBA Draft Combine 2026, which will take place May 10-17 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.
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Ament was a late entry into the NBA draft after considering a return to Tennessee for his sophomore season. However, he ultimately decided to go pro instead. As a freshman, Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He was a key piece of the Elite Eight run, but battled injury late in the year that he played through in the NCAA Tournament.
The 6-foot-10 wing is projected to be a mid-to-late lottery pick by most mock drafts. Being projected this high is why he chose to head to the draft instead of returning to UT.
Gillespie, a Tennessee native, played his first and lone season with the Vols a year ago. After beginning his career at Belmont and then Maryland, he left his mark in one season. The sharp-shooting point guard averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Okpara emerged as one of the best rim protectors in the sport by the end of his career. An Ohio State transfer, he played his final two years at Tennessee as the team’s starting center. This past year, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
