Tar Heel juniors Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington have decided to enter the NBA draft, just a few weeks after winning a national championship.

Both players announced their decision at a news conference on Thursday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.

"It's hard to leave Carolina because of all the great memories and things you learn in college," Lawson said. "All the fun I had with my teammates made it a hard decision. It's just tough leaving here."

"Winning a championship definitely had a lot to do with it," Ellington said. "There's no better way to go out. It's something that's very hard to achieve and we worked for it."

RealGM Note: Executive editor Christopher Reina has Lawson as the 14th pick in June's draft, and slots Ellington as the 30th selection in his latest mock draft.