Baylor freshman Yves Missi, a projected first-round pick, is hiring an agent and declaring for the 2024 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
“I intend to enter the 2024 NBA draft and I am looking forward to the process,” Missi said via text message. “I’m hiring Wasserman as an agency and I am all in!”
Missi, the No. 20 ranked prospect in ESPN’s draft projections, had a productive season for Baylor that earned him selections on the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams, averaging 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 23 minutes.
Missi was born in Belgium but grew up in Cameroon, mostly playing soccer until he was 14. He moved to the United States at 16 without ever having played in an organized basketball game.
In 2019, Missi attended a basketball camp in Yaoundé called ‘Why Not Me,’ which was founded by Victor Wembanyama‘s agent Bouna Ndiaye.
“That was one of my first contacts with basketball,” Missi said.
He said he played his first high school game in November 2021 at West Nottingham Academy (Maryland). He then moved to Prolific Prep in California.
Missi is one of the most physically gifted prospects in this class, standing 6-foot-11 with outstanding mobility, reach and explosiveness, leading the Big 12 with 63 dunks and showing significant potential defensively.
“NBA teams will be able to see in the pre-draft process how fast I’m learning, especially since I’m new to the game,” Missi said. “They will see my ability to shoot and ball-handling, which is something they didn’t necessarily see much of this year.”
Missi’s brother, Steve Moundou-Missi, was a standout at Harvard who was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.
The NBA draft will be held over two days in New York City on June 26 and 27. The first round will be conducted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, followed by the second round the next day at ESPN’s studio in lower Manhattan.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.
