Utah Jazz select John Tonje with the No. 53 pick in 2025 NBA Draft
After a dominant season in Madison, John Tonje becomes the latest Wisconsin Badgers player selected in the NBA Draft.
John Tonje didn’t sign with the Wisconsin men's basketball program because there was a clear path to stardom. He came in with plenty of questions to answer.
Tonje was a transfer who was working his way back from a season-ending injury he sustained at Missouri. A one-year rental facing Big Ten competition for the first time. A veteran brought in to complement the roster, not carry it. But Tonje didn’t look for shortcuts. He bought into the Badgers culture, trusted the staff, won over the locker room, and bet on himself.
And on NBA Draft night, that bet paid off.
With the No. 53 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz selected Tonje, making him the fourth Badger to hear his name called since 2015, joining Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, and Johnny Davis.
And he won’t be the only Badger in Utah. Tonje will be teaming up with former Wisconsin forward Micah Potter on the Jazz.
For a player who entered the program without much national attention, Tonje leaves it with plenty: All-American honors, a Wisconsin single-season free throw record, and a legitimate chance to stick in the NBA.
And let’s not pretend this came out of nowhere. Tonje flat-out earned it.
The 6-foot-5, 211-pound guard from North Omaha gave the Wisconsin Badgers one of the most statistically dominant seasons in program history. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 38.8% from behind the arc and 90.9% at the charity stripe.
That’s not just production—it’s elite efficiency.
He scored 724 total points during the 2024-25 campaign, the second-most ever by a Badgers player in a single season, trailing only Kaminsky, who went on to win National Player of the Year and had his jersey retired. Tonje's 85 made 3-pointers also rank third all-time for a single season.
And his 231 made free throws? That’s a new school record. He also broke the single-game free throw record, making 21 in a single outing.
Tonje was named Second-Team All-American, a unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten selection, and was a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year. He was deservedly named Big Ten Player of the Week three times and twice earned Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honors.
But those individual awards don’t fully capture what Tonje meant to the Badgers. This was a team that needed a go-to guy, someone who could score at will, lead, and settle things down when games got tight.
Tonje delivered. Over and over.
He scored 30+ points six times, dropped 20 or more in 15 games, and saved his best for when it mattered most. The highlight? A 41-point masterpiece against No. 9 Arizona at the Kohl Center in November. He added 32 points against No. 7 Purdue and another 32 against No. 7 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal. And when Wisconsin bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32, it wasn’t for a lack of effort; Tonje set a new program record with 37 points against BYU.
The bigger the moment, the better Tonje played.
That production helped lead Wisconsin to a 27–10 overall record and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It also turned NBA heads. Because what started as a feel-good story quietly morphed into a legit prospect.
Tonje showed he could shoot off movement. He handled the ball in pick-and-roll. He got to the line consistently. And perhaps most impressively, he led by example. There’s a maturity to Tonje’s game and character that made teams believe he’s ready to contribute in an NBA locker room.
The Jazz think so. They used their second-round pick on him, betting that his blend of shooting and size will translate at the next level. And in the context of Utah’s draft class, adding high-level shotmakers like Ace Bailey at No. 5, Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18, and now Tonje, it’s clear they’re prioritizing scoring. Whether they see him as an immediate rotation piece or a developmental scorer with upside, the opportunity is real.
Tonje now joins a Utah team that finished 17–65 last season under head coach Will Hardy, who’s regarded as one of the brightest young minds in the league. With the Jazz looking to retool around a young core, there’s a path for Tonje to earn a role, especially if his scoring translates early.
And it says just as much about Wisconsin as it does about Tonje.
Because what Greg Gard and Kirk Penney did working with Tonje in one season was nothing short of transformative. They put Tonje in a position to succeed, leaned into his strengths, and let the offense flow through a player who bought in from day one. The result? It was one of the most efficient and potent offenses in modern Wisconsin basketball history, finishing No. 13 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom.
“We are so happy for John,” Gard said in a press release. “He’s worked for a long time for this moment and has scratched and clawed his way to being an elite player. Utah is going to love what he brings to the organization. He’s humble, mature and selfless, along with having a relentless drive to get better everyday. He was an absolute joy to coach at Wisconsin, and I’m ecstatic to watch his career unfold in the NBA.”
It’s a reminder of what this program can be when talent and fit align.
Tonje came to the University of Wisconsin with no guarantees. Just a hunger to prove he belonged on the biggest stage. Now, he walks away an All-American, a record-setter, and an NBA Draft pick. And make no mistake, people are taking notice. Between Johnny Davis, AJ Storr, and now Tonje, coach Gard has quietly built a track record of developing wing scorers into pro-level talent. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
The story writes itself because Tonje didn’t just get his career back on track. He became the Wisconsin men's basketball program's version of Russell Wilson: a one-year rental who earned the fanbase’s respect, became a star, and showed just how impactful a single season can be.
And now the next chapter begins.
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Gives me the best reason of all to pay attention to the Utah Jazz! GO TONJE!!!
It is SO nice to see GOOD news nowadays! Thank you, Dillon.