A former Ohio State guard has earned an invitation to the 2026 NBA Draft combine.
Bruce Thornton, who left the Buckeyes as the program’s all-time leading scorer following a four-year career, is one of 73 players on the initial list of invites to this year’s draft combine. He’s the only Ohio State player on the list.
John Mobley Jr., who is slated to be a junior in 2026-27, announced that he is entering the draft process while also retaining his collegiate eligibility. He did not appear on the list of draft combine invitees, and he also did not land an invitation to the G League Elite combine when that list was released later in the day May 1.
The G League event takes place May 8-10, leading into the full combine May 10-17 in Chicago. Each year a handful of participants earn a call-up to the full combine, but Mobley did not receive an invite to either.
Mobley was not initially included on a list of early entrants to the draft due to a clerical error. NBA early entry players have until 5 p.m. June 13 to withdraw their names from the draft and retain their collegiate eligibility.
Thornton is the No. 49 NBA draft prospect according to CBS and No. 50 according to ESPN. Mobley does not appear on either list and is expected to return to Ohio State for his junior year after going through this process.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton gets NBA combine invite, John Mobley does not
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
