Former Indiana men’s basketball center Kel’el Ware will be one of 78 players participating in the NBA Combine, the league announced May 3. Ware is the Hoosiers’ lone representative.
The 7-foot Ware led Indiana with 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting a team-best 58.6% from the field during the 2023-24 season. He was named a second-team All-Big Ten honoree by the media, third team by the conference’s coaches and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive team.
A former 5-star recruit, Ware only spent one year with the Hoosiers, as he transferred to Bloomington from the University of Oregon after his true freshman season.
Ware, a native of North Little Rock, Arkansas, is widely projected as a late first-round pick. He’d be Indiana’s second consecutive first-rounder, following in the footsteps of now-Los Angeles Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, who went No. 17 overall last year.
The Golden State Warriors drafted former Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis at No. 57 last season, setting the table for Ware to give the Hoosiers three draftees in a two-year span.
The 2024 NBA Combine runs from May 12-19 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball offseason.
