The NBA announced the 73 players that have been invited to the 2026 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, which had the obvious inclusions of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders.
But those are not the only players from a Utah school who will be representing the state at the NBA event in Chicago.
The NBA G League announced the 44 prospects that were invited to participate in the NBA G League Combine, and that list includes BYU’s Keba Keita and Utah State’s MJ Collins.
The G League Combine will kick off a nine-day stretch of draft-related events in Chicago. The G League Combine runs from May 8–10 at Wintrust Arena and the NBA draft lottery is held on May 10. Then, the NBA Draft Combine runs from May 11-17.
Both combines serve as an opportunity for prospects to showcase their talent in front of both NBA and NBA G League executives, coaches and scouts.
Every year, a handful of players from the G League Combine earn invitations to stay in Chicago and take part in the NBA Draft Combine based on their performance at the G League Combine. The NBA Draft Combine includes drills, scrimmages, measurements and interviews with NBA team executives and coaches.
Collins, a native of South Carolina who was named Mountain West Tournament MVP in 2026, transferred to Utah State after having played at Virginia Tech for two seasons and then at Vanderbilt for the 2024-25 season.
At Utah State, Collins more than doubled his production on the court, averaging 17.5 points and shooting 36.1% from 3-point range.
Keita spent two years at Utah before transferring to BYU, following assistant coach Chris Burgess, who joined Kevin Young’s staff at BYU after leaving the Utes.
In two seasons with the Cougars, Keita, who is originally from Mali, averaged 6.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 67.6% from the field.
Dybantsa is expected to be a top 3 pick in the NBA draft, which will be held on June 23 and 24. Saunders is projected to be a second-round pick.
Collins and Keita will be hoping their performances May 8-10 earn them a call-up to the NBA Combine.