Oregon Ducks Big Man Nate Bittle Declares For NBA Draft While Maintaining College Eligibility
750 The Game Staff
Nate Bittle has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility and will return to the Oregon Ducks if he returns to college, he announced on social media Monday.
A central figure of Oregon’s 2024-25 success that saw them eclipse 20 victories yet again under Dana Altman, win a game in the Big Ten Tournament, earn a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and blowout 12-seed Liberty in a first-round matchup. Oregon lost a hard-fought second-round game to 4-seed Arizona.
Bittle has played four seasons at Oregon, though his third season was limited to just five games due to injury and illness. Earlier this month, he was granted another year of eligibility from the NCAA with a medical hardship waiver allowing him to return for the 2024-25 season if desired.
Bittle averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks this season for the Ducks, team-highs in all three categories. The Central Point, Ore. native played his high school ball at Crater HS in the 5A ranks before coming to Oregon. He’ll turn 22 years old in June.
Now, Bittle will test the NBA Draft waters to gauge his stock. Should he decide to withdraw and return to the Ducks, he must do so by the NCAA Early Entry withdrawal deadline, which is May 28th.
The NBA Draft is June 25-26 in Brooklyn, NY.