21-year-old Zach Edey has been leaving a mark in the basketball world for quite some time now. The player wanted to enter the big leagues and paid his dues for doing so, having played 4 seasons of college basketball with the Purdue Boilermakers. Just as fans anticipated that Edey would announce his entry into the NBA draft anytime soon, they received a major bombshell. Hours ago, a rumor started to make the rounds that Edey would be ineligible to place his name for the same since he reportedly failed his final exams. This news has caused a brief part of the NBA world to lash out.

Warriors star Klay Thompson’s father and two-time NBA champion Mychal Thompson recently took to his official X account to share a thought with his 51,000 followers and the wider social media spectrum. Highlighting the alleged injustice that was imposed on the youngster, Thompson highlighted the changing times, by writing, “How MUCH has the NBA changed? Remember wen the most dominant BIG in college was garanteed to go 1st in the draft? Theez days peepl are wonderin if Zach Edey of Purdue has a place in the NBA…The league is Lost… (basketball emoji)”.

Fortunately for Mychal Thompson and other NCAA followers, the news about Edey failing his final exams has been declared false. According to various reports, the rumor was initially circulated by an X account titled ‘NBACentel’ which acts out as an unofficial parody account of the commonly followed ‘NBACentral’ page. The 7-foot-4 player is far from being considered out of the main running.

In fact, ESPN’s recent draft rankings placed the player as the No. 13 prospect from the class of this year. Edey and the Boilermakers have found significant success during the ongoing NCAA championship. With just one more win standing between the player and his first-ever championship ring, Edey would probably be keeping all of these rumors on one side and putting his head in the game.

Zach Edey recently earned the respect of Shaquille O’Neal

If one has ever doubted the scoring prowess that Zach Edey displays on the basketball court, then all they need to do is have a look at his stats. During the 137 games that the Canadian player has played for Purdue over four years, he has averaged 18.1 points, 1.4 blocks, and 1.7 assists. Along with that, he has been establishing and breaking records that have remained unbroken for decades. This earned him the respect of a renowned NBA legend who has been watching the young player’s performances for quite some time now; Shaquille O’Neal.

During a recent March Madness game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Utah State Aggies, Edey recorded 20+ points and 3 rebounds for the 3rd consecutive time. According to OptaStats, this allowed him to be the first college player to do so since Shaq himself back in 1992. When the news reached the legend, he didn’t waste any time. Taking to his official Instagram account, Shaq put out a statement that read “Way to dominate. I’m changing your name to Zachille O’Neal”.

The gesture was something that probably made the day of the college star. Edey provided his response to being dubbed “Zachille O’Neal” by stating “He (Shaq) came before me. He has done everything that I want to do. If he calls me Zachille, then I mean, I’ll take it. I’m Zachille then”.

Would you like to see Zach Edey be a member of the NBA soon? Let us know in the comments down below.

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