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Inside The Huskies

Steinbach Ends Husky Draft Drought, Goes To Charlotte

The forward from Germany became the UW's first NBA selection since 2020.
Dan Raley|
Hannes Steinbach takes a moment to regroup against Utah.
Hannes Steinbach takes a moment to regroup against Utah. | Dave Sizer photo

Mindful of becoming the next Dirk Nowitzki or Detlef Schrempf -- which would be another NBA headliner from Germany -- Hannes Steinbach launched his American pro basketball career on Tuesday night when the Charlotte Hornets drafted him with the 14th overall pick in Brooklyn, New York.

After just one season at the University of Washington, the 6-foot-10, 248-pound Steinbach, nattily dressed in a dark blue suit with a blue tie, turned up as predicted in most mock drafts, which consistently had him listed as a top 15 selection.

He becomes the Huskies' 18th different first-round pick in school history and first selection of any kind in six seasons since forwards Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels went with the 16th and 28th overall picks in 2020, respectively.

Three UW players previously have played for the Charlotte franchise in guard Eldridge Recasner (1999-2001), forward Spencer Hawes (2015-17) and guard Isaiah Thomas (2022).

Steinbach hails from the same German city, Wurzburg, that sent the 7-foot Nowitzki to the NBA in 1998 to begin a highly decorated 21-year career and it made him arguably Europe's greatest basketball player ever

Nowitzki is considered a close family friend of the Steinbach family after playing five German League seasons alongside Hannes' father, Burkhard.

Steinbach's parents were in attendance for the draft, while Nowitzki offered a video greeting that unfortunately wasn't heard on the air because of ESPN technical difficulties.

"Seeing Dirk succeeding in the NBA at that level gave me a level of confidence I could make it, as well," Steinbach told Hornets beat writers.

In pre-draft interviews this week in New York, Steinbach, 20, showed himself to be cool and composed as he explained his path to the NBA that first took him through Montlake. That could have been daunting for someone else, to end up so far away from home as a teenager, but it wasn't for him.

"I think just like taking every chance you get, taking a risk, like not looking back, like not having any regrets,I think I did that for the most part," he said. "Coming to the U.S., playing college, taking that risk, I think that would be good advice."

Husky coach Danny Sprinkle likewise attended the draft in person, lending his support to the third-team All-Big Ten selection.

While not someone who consistently plays above the rim, Steinbach drew a lot of NBA attention to himself because he has huge hands and prides himself on being an elite rebounder.

He led the nation with 22 double-double performances, averaging 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per outing for the Huskies, with the latter number also a national best.

He came up with 24 points and 22 rebounds in a late-season game against USC, which were NBA-like numbers.

Steinbach's draft selection helps curtail a listless time for the Husky basketball program that went five years between NBA picks, which has been tough to explain to future recruits.

The German player's 10 months in Seattle also helped change the course of the program some, with Sprinkle's coaching staff now even more inclined to pack the roster full of international players.

However, it could be some time before the Huskies come up with someone as talented and motivated as Hannes Steinbach.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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