Report: Stojakovic declares for NBA draft
· Yahoo Sports
Apr. 26—CHAMPAIGN — Andrej Stojakovic apparently got his declaration for the 2026 NBA Draft in before Friday's deadline. ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported late Sunday morning the Illinois guard had entered his name in the draft with the option to return to the Illini.
Stojakovic announced his return to Illinois on April 17 with a simple "I'm back" video shot at Ubben Basketball Complex and then posted to social media. The 6-foot-7 guard will now go through the NBA draft process, with the deadline to withdraw and preserve his college basketball eligibility May 27.
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Stojakovic is the second Illinois player to enter the 2026 NBA Draft. Keaton Wagler announced his draft decision April 11, and the 6-6 freshman guard is viewed as a likely lottery pick. Stojakovic's draft stock would currently put him in line to be a second-round pick at best.
Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points on a career-best 50 percent shooting to go with 4.5 rebounds per game during his first season in Champaign following one year apiece at Stanford and California. He shot a career-low 24 percent from three-point range but did make 80 percent of his free throws.
"I think his experience here was a positive one," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said about Stojakovic's first season. "I thought the strides he made were incredible. I couldn't have been more pleased — especially with the fact he missed seven weeks (because of a preseason knee injury) — with his willingness to listen and his willingness and abilities to expedite his process very quickly. He impacted the game on both ends, and I'm excited about that."