Report: Jabari Walker intends to go pro

BOULDER — Bad news is on the horizon.

Star forward Jabari Walker will not return to Colorado, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported on Monday. Walker declared for the NBA Draft but could choose to return to school before the June 1 deadline. That option isn’t off the table but it seems very unlikely following this report.

Jabari Walker, a first-team All Pac-12 member, will not return to Colorado, his father Samaki Walker told ESPN. "Jabari is fully committed to becoming a professional basketball player and has no intentions on returning to school. He wants to sign with an agent and go all in." pic.twitter.com/C6fm1haL9I

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 2, 2022

“Jabari is fully committed to becoming a professional basketball player and has no intentions on returning to school,” his father Samaki Walker told Givony. “He wants to sign with an agent and go all in.”

Should Walker leave for the NBA, Colorado would be left with one open scholarship. Colorado could choose to offer that scholarship to a transfer player who could make an immediate impact, a freshman who is yet to sign with a school or the Buffs could hold onto the scholarship and leave it open for the next recruiting cycle.

Given the current roster, adding a senior big man who would leave after the season may be the most likely outcome.

The door isn’t fully shut for a Walker return but the crack is much narrower than it seemed to be.