Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle, despite declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft in March while retaining a year of college eligibility, was not invited to the NBA Draft Combine. The NBA announced the 75 players who will participate in the combine in Chicago from May 11-18. The draft is scheduled for June 25-26 in Brooklyn, and Bittle has until June 15 to decide whether to withdraw and return to college.

Bittle, a defensive standout, earned Third Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defense honors in the 2024-25 season. After a relatively quiet three seasons, he averaged a team-high 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.9 assists, leading the Big Ten with 75 total blocks. Duke star Cooper Flagg is favored to be the No. 1 overall pick.

Bittle expressed gratitude to the University of Oregon community and fans on social media after the 2024-25 season. A former five-star recruit from Central Point, Oregon, Bittle missed much of the 2023-24 season due to a wrist injury and illness but received an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA.

Oregon lost to Arizona in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Guard Jadrian Tracey also received an extra year of eligibility and will play another season for the Ducks. Starting guard Jackson Shelstad will also return for his third season, foregoing the 2025 NBA Draft.

Bittle shined in 2024-25 and is a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the best center in college basketball, alongside Ryan Kalkbrenner, Derik Queen, Vladislav Goldin, and Maxime Raynaud.

Separately, Drake Powell, a former UNC basketball player, received an invitation to the 2025 NBA Draft Combine. In his likely single season at Chapel Hill, Powell averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, shooting 48.3% from the field and 37.9% from three-point range. However, former Tar Heel guards RJ Davis and Caleb Love did not receive invitations.

The NBA tends to favor younger prospects, often disadvantaging older players with more college experience. Despite not receiving combine invites, Davis and Love should still attract interest from NBA teams and have opportunities to play professionally in the G-League or overseas. Powell faces a crucial week to prove his decision to enter the NBA Draft was the right one.