CHAMPAIGN — Illinois wing Andrej Stojakovic declared for the NBA Draft while “leaving open the option to return to the Fighting Illini,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports. Stojakovic had previously announced his return to Illinois for his senior season on April 17.

  • Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists for Illinois in 2025-26 in 26.3 minutes per game. He averaged 13.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament to help lead the Illini to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.
  • Stojakovic transferred to Illinois from Cal after averaging 17.9 points per game for the Golden Bears as a sophomore in 2024-25. He spent his freshman season at Stanford and was a five-star prospect and the No. 26 overall prospect in the Class of 2023, according to 247 Sports’ Composite rankings.
  • Stojakovic said on Instagram Live on April 17 following his return announcement: “I love it here. I love it here. We’re going to come back, we’re going to be better. It’s going to be a hell of a ride. We’re going to have fun doing it. We’re going to win a lot of games…I love you guys. We’re running this s*** back, and we’re coming for that national championship. …Expect us to win a lot of games and expect us to laugh while doing it because we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
  • Stojakovic is the second Illini player to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft, joining Keaton Wagler, who is a projected top-10 pick.

What it means: This was always a possibility for Stojakovic, who has been on NBA radars since entering college as a former five-star recruit and son of an NBA star. The early entry deadline for players to enter their name into the NBA Draft was on Friday at 11:59 p.m. ET, so Stojakovic must’ve officially declared before then. The Illini star clearly has pro dreams, so it doesn’t hurt to go through the process and get feedback from NBA teams that he can apply to his final college season in hopes of boosting his stock. Stojakovic certainly has NBA size and athleticism and is a dominant downhill threat who puts constant pressure on the rim and can be an impactful defensive player. But Stojakovic is not currently a projected draft pick. ESPN currently ranks him as the No. 94 prospect on its Best Available players list, while CBS Sports and the Athletic both did not project him to be selected in their latest mock drafts published before his return announcement. Stojakovic can make significantly more guaranteed money in college next season and elevate himself into a surefire draft selection in a weaker 2027 draft class if he shows improvement as a shooter, passer and defender as a senior at Illinois. Given that Stojakovic already announced his intentions to return to the Illini, this seems like more of a procedural move rather than one with much real intention of remaining in the draft, though Stojakovic will now have a month before he must make a final decision.

What’s next: The NBA’s early entry withdrawal deadline is on Wednesday, May 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET, so Stojakovic will have almost exactly one month to gather feedback and officially decide whether or not to return to school. The NBA Combine will take place from May 10-May 17 in Chicago. 75 players were invited last year, so it’s possible that Stojakovic could receive an invitation to participate. If not, Stojakovic could be invited to the NBA G League Combine, which will take place from May 8-May 10, with standout performers able to then receive invites to the NBA Combine.