Smartest NBA players by GPA, degree: Eastern Conference

CENTRAL DIVISION

Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)

LaVine had a 2.9 GPA in high school. He was undeclared in his major at UCLA and he wasn’t able to graduate with a college degree since he opted for the NBA after one season with the Bruins. 

Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Mitchell stated in his keynote speech to Utah’s Class of 2021 graduates, “I risked not being able to play basketball at the next level (college) due to my low GPA that I realized I had to start taking grades more seriously. And from junior year on, I was able to progress each year to become a better student.”

In college, Mitchell held over a 3.0 GPA (he made first-team All-ACC Academic honors). Mitchell was a communications major at Louisville but he didn’t complete his degree before he entered the NBA. 

In 2018, one year after being drafted, Mitchell revealed to The Salt Lake Tribune that he would go back to college to complete his degree because of a promise he made to his mom. In 2021, he reaffirmed his commitment to completing his degree. 

“I understand the value of education,” Mitchell told the Class of 2021 graduates at Utah. “You’ve all beat me to it but getting a college degree will definitely be part of my own path. At the end of the day, the air runs out in the basketball. But education is something that lasts your whole life.”

It appears that Mitchell hasn’t attained his college degree yet. 

Bojan Bogdanovic (Detroit Pistons) 

Bogdanovic’s grades from overseas are N/A. Bogdanovic never went to college since he went pro at 15 years old with Zrinjski Mostar. He’s also never stated any plans of pursuing a college degree. 

Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)

Turner had a perfect 4.0 GPA in high school. He told Texas that he was interested in majoring in psychology, however, he didn’t graduate since he spent just one year with the Longhorns. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

Antetokounmpo’s grades from overseas are N/A. He’s never been to college but has made it very clear that academics are important to him. 

Antetokounmpo told USA Today’s For The Win that he would go to school at Duke if he could go back in time. 

“Not only [is Duke] good basketball-wise, but academically, it’s also a great school,” Antetokounmpo said.