KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 2021 NBA Draft is here, and three Vols-for-life are in contention to go pro and sign a contract with a professional team.
Yves Pons, Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson are all up for grabs. They have all earned several honors throughout their careers as they helped lead the men's basketball team towards success.
Pons played as a guard-forward for the Vols, earning six total career honors according to officials. He was on the 2018 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll and received the 2020 SEC Defensive Player of the year. He finished his senior year eight on Tennessee's all-time blocks list with 137.
Jaden Springer played as a guard for the Vols and earned the SEC Freshman of the Week twice in December 2020 and February 2021. He was also named to the 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team, according to officials.
Keon Johnson also played as a guard for the Vols and was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 8, 2021. He was also named to the 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team after he was Tennessee's second-leading scorer overall and in SEC play.
The Detroit Pistons hold the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft with the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers next up.
The top three picks in the draft are expected to be Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley, but it's not necessarily set on who will be selecting them. The Raptors are holding onto the fourth pick and possibly shopping Kyle Lowry, plus, the Oklahoma City Thunder possibly shopping guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the sixth pick.
