Wisconsin Badgers retain key starter as John Blackwell withdraws name from NBA Draft

Hours before his deadline, Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell officially withdrew his name from consideration for the NBA Draft, coming back to Greg Gard's lineup as the highest-scoring returning player.

Mar 20, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) drives to the net as Montana Grizzlies guard Money Williams (0) defends against forward Steven Crowl (22) and guard Austin Patterson (20) and forward Te'Jon Sawyer (32) defend in the first half at Ball Arena. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

John Blackwell's NBA career is going to have to wait.

The Wisconsin Badgers star had entered his name in the NBA Draft, but he officially withdrew from consideration on Wednesday, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.

Wisconsin's John Blackwell will withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and return to school next season, per his agent Todd Ramasar.

Averaged 15.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG last year.

All-Big Ten First-Team ability in 2025-26.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 28, 2025

The deadline to withdraw was Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET, so Blackwell made his decision with fewer than 10 hours to spare.

It wasn't a surprising choice given the lack of buzz he was generating in the pre-draft process.

He had some reported workouts with NBA teams, but he didn't appear as a draftable prospect in industry mock drafts.

Blackwell will be back in Madison for his junior season as the team's highest-scoring returning player.

Greg Gard will be counting on him to fill an even bigger role as his teammate John Tonje moves on to the NBA Draft.

One more big season from Blackwell, and he might stick around for the NBA Draft if he enters his name again next year.

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