Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje drafted by Utah Jazz
John Tonje is drafted by in the Utah Jazz NBA Draft. He is the first Wisconsin basketball player drafted since Johnny Davis in 2022.
John Tonje was a relatively unknown player to most Wisconsin basketball fans when he arrived in Madison. By the time he left, he was an All-American and a fan favorite.
In his lone season at Wisconsin, Tonje helped lead the Badgers to a 27-10 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the extremely competitive Big Ten conference, well ahead of the 12th-place spot they were predicted to finish before the start of the season.
The Wisconsin star averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in 2024-25. The stoundout wing was a big part of Wisconsin’s offensive explosion during the season, where they averaged 80.1 points per game, the 36th-most in the country.
His performance during the season launched him into the conversation of being taken in the NBA Draft. After a solid showing in the NBA Draft combine, he proved that he was good enough to get drafted.
Last night, Tonje was taken by the Utah Jazz with the 53rd pick.
He will now head to Utah, which had the worst record in the NBA last season, and join the No. 5 overall pick, and former Rutgers player, Ace Bailey, in trying to turn the franchise around.
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