BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Wisconsin men's basketball standout
John Tonje saw a dream come true on Thursday night as the guard was picked by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Tonje, who was selected with the 53rd overall pick, is the second Badger in the last four years to be drafted, joining Johnny Davis who was picked 10th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. He will join former Badger Micah Potter on the Utah Jazz roster.
"We are so happy for John," UW head coach
Greg Gard said. "He's worked for a long time for this moment and has scratched and clawed his way to being an elite player. Utah is going to love what he brings to the organization. He's humble, mature and selfless, along with having a relentless drive to get better everyday. He was an absolute joy to coach at Wisconsin and I'm ecstatic to watch his career unfold in the NBA."
The North Omaha, Nebraska, native enjoyed a historic season for Wisconsin during the 2024-25 campaign. Tonje earned second-team All-America honors and was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection while leading UW to a 27-10 record. He was a Naismith Player of the Year Semifinalist and was a three-time Big Ten Player of the Week honoree.
A two-time Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, Tonje finished the 2024-25 season with 724 points, the second most by a Badger. He averaged 19.6 points per game, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten Conference. Tonje came through in big games for UW, becoming the first Division I player since Kemba Walker to record three 30+ point games against top-10 opponents, scoring 41 points against No. 9 Arizona, 32 points against No. 7 Purdue, and 32 points against No. 7 Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship semifinal. He also set a school record with 37 points in the NCAA tournament against BYU.
Tonje was stellar at the free throw line, as he ranked seventh in the country and set a UW school record in free-throw percentage with a 90.9% clip. He also broke school records for single-season free throws (231) and single-game free throws (21).
