Andrej Stojakovic Enters NBA Draft After Already Announcing Return to Illinois

The Illinois wing added uncertainty to his future after giving himself the option to turn pro

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood and guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) celebrate after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Illinois looked like it had its roster set. It was returning most of its core from a Final Four team and adding a handful of major players out of the transfer portal. For the most part, its offseason was complete – and still could be – but a wrench was thrown in the middle of those plans on Sunday.

Star wing Andrej Stojakovic, the son of three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, entered his name into the NBA Draft ahead of the deadline on Friday as he will go through the process despite announcing his return to the program earlier in the month. The news was reported by ESPN.

Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season for the Illini after spending the first two seasons of his career at Stanford and California.

The 6-foot-7 product was on the extreme outskirts of the NBA Draft, ranking No. 94 in ESPN’s ‘Best Available’ list and not being on its updated Top 100 Big Board.

NEWS: Illinois' Andrej Stojakovic has entered his name into the NBA draft, sources told ESPN, leaving open the option to return to the Fighting Illini. He was an All-Region selection during Illinois' run to the Final Four.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 26, 2026

David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Jake Davis all announced their returns to Illinois this offseason and landed highly coveted Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks.

The expectation is that the Illini could enter the season as a Top 5 team in the country with its success a year ago and its retention rate, but it needs Stojakovic, who was one of the best 6th men in the county last season after returning from injury back in the rotation.

Stojakovic still has the option to return to Illinois and it’s likely he does play next season in Champaign instead of the NBA, but he will try to learn what pro teams want to see from him next season in hopes to make it to the NBA in the future.

Illinois fans should still expect to  have one of the best teams in the nation next season.