Illinois' Andrej Stojakovic Reportedly Declares for 2026 NBA Draft, Son of Former NBA Star Peja

Andrej Stojakovic could be following in his father's footsteps and heading to the NBA.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported Sunday the Illinois star, who is the son of former NBA player Peja Stojakovic, entered his name into the 2026 NBA draft but is also "leaving open the option to return to the Fighting Illini" after helping lead them to the Final Four.

Peja Stojakovic played in the NBA from the 1998-99 season through the 2010-11 one for the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks. Despite winning the title in 2010-11 with Dallas, he was best known for his time with Sacramento and helped lead the team to the playoffs seven times.

He was also a three-time All-Star with the Kings and finished the 2003-04 season as a Second-Team All-NBA selection who averaged 24.2 points per game.

Andrej Stojakovic started his collegiate career with a familiar name because of his father, but he was also a 5-star recruit in the class of 2023 in his own right, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

He played at Stanford as a freshman, California as a sophomore and Illinois as a junior as someone who took advantage of the transfer-portal opportunities in the modern game multiple times.

Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with Illinois while shooting 50 percent from the field and 24.4 percent from deep. While he didn't have the efficiency his father was known for from deep, he beat defenders off the dribble and was one of the most important players in Illinois' offense.

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He also scored 21 points in the second-round win over VCU in the NCAA men's basketball tournament before finishing with 17 points and five rebounds in an Elite Eight win over Iowa.

It should be noted B/R's Jonathan Wasserman did not project Stojakovic as a pick in his most recent mock draft. The Illinois star left open the option to return to college, which could help him solidify his future draft outlook with more experience.

Borzello suggested the Fighting Illini would be "squarely in consideration for preseason No. 1 in 2026-27" if Stojakovic returns alongside David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Jake Davis and Zvonimir Ivisic, as well as transfer portal additions Stefan Vaaks.

For now, though, Stojakovic is exploring the draft process as he evaluates his future.