The biggest domino of the offseason has dropped for the Illinois basketball program.
Back in April, the Illini got the good news that Andrej Stojakovic was coming back to Champaign for his senior year. He announced it on social media, and everything seemed signed, sealed, and delivered.
Until it wasn’t.
Days later, Stojakovic then declared for the NBA Draft. He went through the NBA Draft Combine, and as time went on, doubt started to creep in on whether he was actually going to come back to Illinois. Well, we now have the answer.
Stojakovic has just announced that he is coming back to Illinois for his final season. This is a bit of a shocker considering how long he stayed in the NBA Draft process, but the future draft pick is now returning to Champaign to hone his skills and prepare for the 2027 NBA Draft and, hopefully, a national championship run.
NEWS: Andrej Stojakovic will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Illinois, his agent Drake U’u told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) May 27, 2026
The 6-7 junior played a key role in the Illini’s run to the Final Four, scoring 21 points in the Round of 32 against VCU and 17 points in the Elite Eight against Iowa.… pic.twitter.com/xbFfbgh4Gu
The three seasons Stojakovic has spent in the college ranks have seen its ups and downs. He had his best year with Cal, where he averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. That was also on a bad Bears squad.
After two years trying to find his footing in the college ranks, Stojakovic landed with Illinois. He was a starter early on only to lose the job due to injury and chemistry when he returned.
Stojakovic still had a good year with the Illini. He finished his junior year averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
Andrej Stojakovic is going to need to figure out his shooting issues if he wants to make an easy transition from the Illinois basketball program to the NBA
I think this is a great decision by Stojakovic to come back to Champaign. I know the bright lights of a sleepy arena on a random Tuesday night in Sacramento sounds like a blast, but coming back to Illinois for one more season likely helps boost his draft stock a little more.
Right now, Stojakovic is a mid-to-late second round selection, if he gets drafted at all. He is someone who has a high ceiling, but he has to get his shooting problems fixed.
Stojakovic’s best three-point shooting season was as a freshman when he shot 32.7% from deep with Stanford. He has steadily gotten worse from distance over the years, dropping down to 24.4% from three-point range with the Illini last season.
The shooting problems reared its ugly head during the NBA Draft Combine, too. He was consistently one of the worst shooters on the floor in drills, and this probably contributed to him coming back to Illinois for one more year.
I am root for Stojakovic to see success at the next level, and that is why I am glad he is returning to Illinois. He is someone who can get downhill and to the rim with ease. It will be fun watching him develop during the 2026-27 season and where he ends up getting drafted next year.
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