Illinois Reacts to Andrej Stojakovic’s Career Decision on Wednesday

The Illinois Fighting Illini entered Wednesday anxiously waiting for one of the biggest roster decisions of the college basketball offseason. After testing the NBA Draft process and participating in the NBA Combine earlier this month, Andrej Stojakovic officially made his long-awaited decision just before the withdrawal deadline.

It did not take long for excitement to explode across Illinois basketball circles afterward. From social media reactions to national analysts immediately reshuffling preseason expectations, the Illini program suddenly found itself right back in the center of the national championship conversation following the major announcement.

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Stojakovic officially withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday and announced he will return to Illinois for the 2026-27 season.

The Illini quickly celebrated the decision online, while fans flooded social media reacting to the return of one of the team’s most important players from last season’s Final Four run.

“Deep down, all of us know that the job isn’t finished,” Stojakovic said in his announcement video. “I’m grateful for everything I gained from the draft process and combine. It pushed me and gave me perspective for the future.”

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“This is a very difficult decision, but in the end, my heart led me back to Illinois.”

Andrej Stojakovic Gives Illinois Massive Boost

Stojakovic’s return instantly changes the ceiling for Illinois entering next season.

The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season while emerging as one of the Big Ten’s most versatile two-way players. He also became a critical part of Illinois’ NCAA Tournament success, averaging 13.8 points during the team’s five-game tournament run to the Final Four.

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His postseason performances included 21 points against the VCU Rams in the Round of 32 and another strong showing in the Elite Eight.

Illinois now returns five of its top eight scorers from last season’s Final Four…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/illinois-reacts-andrej-stojakovic-career-000936177.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-28 00:09:00

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