Andrej Stojakovic Withdraws from 2026 NBA Draft, Announces Illinois Return in Video

After leading Illinois to the Final Four in 2025-26, Andrej Stojaković is returning for another season with the Fighting Illini.

Stojaković announced his decision in a video on Wednesday.

"Deep down, all of us know that the job isn't finished," Stojaković said. "I'm grateful for everything I gained from the draft process and combine. It pushed me and gave me perspective for the future. This is a very difficult decision, but in the end, my heart led me back to Illinois."

Stojaković, the son of former NBA sharp shooter Peja Stojaković, was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school, and he started his collegiate career at Stanford. He had a breakout season at Cal as a sophomore and was one of the top players in the transfer portal when he decided to join Illinois.

Stojaković averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Illini last year, hitting 50 percent of his shots from the field and 24.4 percent of his three pointers.

The junior left a bit to be desired in terms of his shooting, but he was nonetheless a key piece of the offense. He had some big performances in the postseason, scoring 21 points in the Round of 32 against VCU and 17 in the Elite Eight against Iowa.

Stojaković initially declared for the NBA draft in April, but he left the door open for a return to Illinois. Clearly, he had a change of heart and wanted to see things through after the Final Four run.

Stojaković's return is good news since Illinois is going to lose a lot of its offense with star freshman Keaton Wagner on the way to the draft, where he is widely projected to be a top-10 pick.

Stojaković will look to put together a big senior season and increase his draft stock while guiding Illinois to another deep run.