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Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
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WATCH: The moment the Utah Jazz selected Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje
After being selected in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft, former Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje will officially don NBA threads during the 2025-26 season. On Thursday, the Utah Jazz selected the North Omaha, Nebraska, native with the 53rd overall pick of the draft. After six years of collegiate basketball with three different programs, Tonje becomes the first Badger to be drafted since 2022, joining lottery pick and former Big Ten Player of the Year Johnny Davis. Advertisement And, like his fellow 58 draftees, Tonje witnessed his dream materialize before his very eyes. On Thursday evening at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Deputy Commissioner of the NBA Mark Tatum uttered the words every aspiring professional hooper hopes to hear: "With the 53rd pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select John Tonje from the University of Wisconsin." The AP Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten team member certainly earned his position on the Jazz. In 37 appearances in 2024-25, Tonje averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting a blistering 46.5% from the field, 39% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. Tonje also recorded three 30+ point performances against top-10 opponents, including a 41-tally outburst against No. 9 Arizona in November, a 32-point explosion against No. 7 Purdue in February, and another 32-point barrage vs. No. 7 Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship semifinal in March. Tonje punctuated his collegiate career with 37 points in Wisconsin's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss against BYU. That outing gave him the program record for the most points in an NCAA Tournament game. Advertisement "Just had a great year at Wisconsin," ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said on the broadcast. "John Tonje has a strong frame. He's tough, he's aggressive, [a] good shooter with a high release and a good driver. He's very good on the move, but it's his physicality, he just bullied his way to the free throw line over and over again this year. He made the most free throws of any player this last year in Division I basketball." Tonje is one of three Jazz draftees alongside Rutgers forward Ace Bailey (No. 5 overall) and Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (No. 18). He will join Johnny Juzang, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson and Taylor Hendricks in Utah's second unit. The Jazz will look to improve off a 17-65 finish during the 2024-25 season and secure its first playoff birth since 2022. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Basketball star John Tonje Utah Jazz NBA Draft Announcement
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin star wing John Tonje selected in second round of 2025 NBA draft
The Utah Jazz selected Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje with the 53rd overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft on Thursday. The All-American wing makes the jump to the NBA level after a standout senior season at Wisconsin. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting a terrific 46.5% from the field, 39% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. Had the Badgers defeated BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Tonje was in line to capture the program's all-time single-season scoring record. Advertisement The former Missouri and Colorado State transfer becomes the first Badger drafted since Johnny Davis went No. 10 overall to the Washington Wizards in 2022, plus the second since Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker were each first-round picks back in 2015. He joins a Jazz draft class that also includes Rutgers forward Ace Bailey (No. 5 overall) and Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (No. 18). Those three incoming rookies will help the Jazz improve from a 17-65 2024-25 season. The team has not made the playoffs since it did so for six straight years from 2016-22. Tonje will likely be in action during the NBA Summer League, which is scheduled to take place from July 10 to 20. Despite the now-former Badger's top-tier collegiate production, he still needs to prove his staying power at the NBA level. Advertisement Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje's NBA draft selection
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
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Where Wisconsin star John Tonje lands in CBS' latest NBA draft top 100 player ranking
Wisconsin basketball star wing John Tonje is likely to hear his name called during the 2025 NBA draft later this week. Notably, ESPN's latest mock draft recently slotted the now-former Badger No. 42 overall to the Sacramento Kings. CBSSports forecasts a similar pick range -- it has Tonje at No. 44 in its current ranking of the draft's top 100 prospects. Advertisement The sixth-year senior averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Badgers in 2024-25. He reached that point total on 46.5% shooting from the field, 39% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. Those tallies earned him First-Team All-America honors from the Wooden Award, a Second-Team All-America selection from nearly every other outlet and a consensus First-Team All-Big Ten selection. There is a question of how Tonje's top-end college production will translate to the NBA level, especially at his older age of 24. Enough NBA teams seem sold on that translation, as the 6-foot-5 wing's draft stock has steadily improved since the season's conclusion. His strong NBA combine performance and several notable workouts played major roles. Tonje is likely to hear his name called on Day 2 of the NBA draft on Thursday. When he does, he'll become the first Badger selected since Johnny Davis went No. 10 overall to the Washington Wizards in 2022, and the second since Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker each went in the first round in 2015. Advertisement Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje final NBA draft player ranking
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Memphis Grizzlies release former Wisconsin basketball star
The Memphis Grizzlies are releasing former Wisconsin basketball star Johnny Davis, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Exactly two weeks after being traded from the Washington Wizards to Memphis ahead of the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline, Davis will be on the move once more. The former lottery pick didn't suit up for the Grizzlies during his two weeks with the team. He, alongside Marvin Bagley III and a batch of second-round picks, went to the Grizzlies in exchange for Marcus Smart, Colby Jones, Alex Len and a 2025 first-round pick. Now, the Grizzlies have opened a roster spot for forward Lamar Stevens by releasing Davis. Charania did note that the former Badger is expected to receive interest from other franchises as a free agent. Memphis clearly prioritized length and experience over Davis' lack of playing time. Through 203 career games, Stevens has logged 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in just under 16 minutes per appearance. For a team hoping to make a deep run in the NBA's Western Conference playoffs, this was an understandable move. The Grizzlies are releasing Johnny Davis to create roster space, sources said. Davis, the No. 10 pick in 2022, is expected to receive some interest as a free agent. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025 The La Crosse, Wisconsin, native joined Washington as the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft following a storied tenure in Madison. With the Wizards, however, he did not experience the same success. In 112 games in Washington, he averaged just 11.4 minutes, 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists. He did log some time with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington's G League affiliate, as he navigated through the NBA waters. While rumors of potential suitors are certainly real, the G League remains Davis' likely destination. He simply has yet to showcase the ceiling he displayed during his 19.7-point, 8.2-rebound campaign with the Badgers in 2021-22 -- the year he led Greg Gard's group to a Big Ten title. This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball Johnny Davis NBA Grizzlies Release Update
