Andrej Stojaković said he is “both feet in” the NBA draft process right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t return to Illinois.
Speaking Wednesday at the draft combine at Wintrust Arena, the 6-foot-7 wing said he’s approaching the draft process with a mindset “to kill every workout moving forward.” Then, when the withdrawal deadline arrives May 27, he will have all of the information he needs to make the right decision for himself.
ESPN’s latest mock draft has Stojaković going at No. 53 in the second round, a spot that might not be as valuable as the combination of NIL money and draft-stock improvement that another season in Champaign could provide. But he said he will consider which destination is the right fit for him.
“Making it to the NBA has been a dream of mine since I was young,” said the son of three-time All-Star Peja Stojaković. “Doing this for myself, committing to it until I’m not anymore, is something I’ve been approaching constantly. I’m just looking forward to the feedback I get from it.”
Stojaković, who averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and one assist during the Illini’s Final Four season, announced his return to Illinois on April 17 after starters David Mirković, Tomislav Ivišić and Jake Davis and key reserve Zvonimir Ivišić also announced their returns. He posted a clip on social media saying, “I’m back.”
But later in April, it came out that he also was entering the draft while maintaining his college eligibility. As of Wednesday afternoon, he had worked out for the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics and was hoping for a couple of more workouts with teams that showed interest.
He did the agility and shooting drills at the combine but declined to participate in the 5-on-5 games Wednesday, saying he didn’t think it would move the needle the way he wanted it to, given that he already has played three seasons of college basketball.
He sees the dual declarations as a “win-win” situation, calling his option to return to Illinois — a Final Four team with four other key players returning — one of a kind and special.
“Announcing coming back to Illinois was more so having a plan either way,” he said. “I love Illinois. I loved it this year, and if I do go back, I’m looking forward to making hopefully more history with the team.
“It’s just for my peace of mind, knowing (the NBA) is a dream of mine, but understanding there is a chance I’m going to go back and I’m looking forward to participating in another Final Four.”
Stojaković would be a crucial piece for the Illini to retain as they look to build on their first Final Four appearance since 2005. After transferring last spring from California, he became a major asset both in his ability to get to the basket and as a strong defender alongside Kylan Boswell. He was pleased with how he adapted to become a better player without the ball in his hands too.
He overcame a high ankle sprain in February and played some of his best basketball in March, scoring in double figures five times, including 17 points and five rebounds in the Elite Eight win over Iowa.
He doesn’t really need NBA teams to tell him the area he most needs to improve to elevate his game. He shot 50% from the field in 2025-26 but was just 20 of 82 (24.4%) from 3-point range. It was by far the worst percentage of his career after he went 75 of 233 (32.2%) from deep over his first two seasons at Stanford and Cal.
Stojaković said he has tried to show teams his shooting ability in workouts, but he also noted another year at Illinois could give him the opportunity to prove he can shoot from anywhere. He said he grew up a shooter, but the Illini asked him to get to the basket more because it was a unique element he provided among multiple shooters on last season’s team.
“Going to Illinois, they unleashed a certain mindset for me to go to the rim. They saw something in me,” he said. “The size we had as a team this year allowed me to space the floor and drive because we had bigs that can shoot the ball. That was something we were comfortable going to in a lot of the games.”
He said the dip in his shooting came in part from hesitation because he knew the Illini had many capable shooters.
“It’s making 0.5 (second) decisions, knowing when to shoot the ball right away or not,” he said. “I found myself this year thinking about it a lot — when was a good time to shoot it, when it wasn’t — just because of the amount of firepower we had on the team.
“I’m looking forward to being a lot more aggressive and a lot more assertive with the decision-making, no matter what the option is.”
Stojaković joined Illini teammates Boswell and Keaton Wagler at the combine this week, and several Illinois assistant coaches also gathered in the lobby of the Marriott Marquis Chicago in the South Loop before Wednesday’s events to support their players. Stojaković said the coaching staff has been supportive about his draft exploration and preparation.
Neither Boswell nor Wagler will return to Illinois. Wagler is projected to go as high as No. 5 in the draft by ESPN. Boswell, a potential second-round pick, is out of eligibility.
“It still hasn’t hit me that if I do decide to go back to school, they won’t be in the same locker room as me,” Stojaković said. “But who knows? Maybe we play with each other in the future. It’s definitely surreal seeing them in the NBA combine jersey. And we’re all going through the same stuff right now, so it’s a good experience.”
Stojaković said multiple times what a good experience he had in his lone season at Illinois.
He called the vibes around Champaign “crazy” in the month-plus since the Final Four trip. He appreciates the support fellow students and community members have shown.
“I hate to say (we made an) impact because we’re just basketball players at the end of the day. We don’t change people’s lives in a serious way,” he said. “I’m just glad we got to bring a lot of people joy in watching basketball at Illinois.
“We walk around campus and see all these people thanking us. We just wear a jersey and shoot the ball, man. We’re not really doing anything special, but we’re very thankful for the opportunities it’s given us so far.”
Stojaković didn’t provide one specific factor that will determine whether he returns to Illinois, saying he just wants to pick the spot that will offer him the right opportunity to keep growing his game.
“The more I move forward, the more we go closer to that deadline, I’ll know more,” he said. “The group around me has done a really good job of evaluating and staying level-headed no matter what kind of feedback we hear.
“I’m very thankful for the situation I’m in because going back to school is also a really, really good option for me.”
