UCLA men's basketball junior Aaron Holiday has elected to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the 2018 NBA Draft.
 
Holiday, who averaged a Pac-12-leading 20.3 points per game as a junior in 2017-18, announced his decision on his Twitter account on Monday evening.

After much thought and consideration, my family and I feel it is in my best interest to declare for the 2018 NBA draft. I want to thank God for giving me the ability to play this sport. I also want to thank my family, my coaches , UCLA, and the fans for always supporting me.

— Aaron Holiday (@AHoliday03) March 26, 2018

Holiday became UCLA's first player to lead the Pac-12 in scoring since Reggie Miller in 1985-86 (Miller averaged 25.9 points per game as a junior). He secured first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2018 and was one of five Pac-12 student-athletes named to the league's All-Defensive Team.
 
"It has been a privilege to coach Aaron the past three seasons," said Steve Alford, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "He's such a driven young man with a burning desire to get better at both ends of the court. He got better each year that he was in our program, and it was especially rewarding to see him take his game to a new level last season. It's hard for me to put into words what Aaron meant to our 2017-18 team. He was simply remarkable.
 
"We're certainly going to miss him, but I know that Aaron is ready to make the jump to the next level," Alford continued. "He has a very unique opportunity to join his two brothers in the NBA, and I completely support his decision. All of us at UCLA wish him the best as he moves forward, and we can't wait to watch him play in the NBA."
 
Through three seasons at UCLA (2016-18), Holiday averaged 14.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 101 games (65 starts). He currently ranks No. 25 on UCLA's all-time scoring list (1,443 points). In addition, Holiday ranks No. 7 on UCLA's career assists-per-game list (4.72), No. 8 in career three-pointers made (180) and No. 9 in career assists (477).
 
As a junior in 2017-18, Holiday scored in double figures in 32 of the team's 33 games. He led the Bruins in both assists (192) and steals (42) and captured third-team All-America acclaim from Sporting News. Holiday secured first-team NABC Division I All-District honors and was named an All-District IX selection by the U.S. Basketball Writers' Association (USBWA).
 
A former standout at Campbell Hall High School, Holiday became UCLA's first player to average at least 20 points per game in a full season since Ed O'Bannon tallied 20.4 points per game in 1994-95.
 
Holiday was at his best for the Bruins when the stakes were high. In what many pundits labeled as a "must-win" game for UCLA, Holiday scored a career-high 34 points in the team's regular-season finale, an 83-72 win at USC on Saturday, March 3. Five days later, Holiday matched that effort with 34 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as the Bruins downed Stanford, 88-77, in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.
 
Through three seasons, Holiday never missed one game for UCLA. He helped the Bruins post a 67-34 record, playing in all 101 games.
 
Holiday's oldest brother, Justin, played at the University of Washington from 2008-11 and is currently in his fifth season in the NBA (now with the Chicago Bulls). His brother Jrue was selected in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft after a strong freshman season at UCLA. Jrue is midway through his ninth year in the NBA (currently with the New Orleans Pelicans). Holiday's older sister, Lauren, played two seasons on the UCLA women's basketball team.

The 2018 NBA Draft will take place Thursday, June 21, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. This year's NBA Draft will be nationally televised by ESPN.