Following the 2025 draft, Wisconsin men’s basketball star John Tonje, alongside former teammate Steven Crowl, joined an elite group of Badger alumni who have reached the heights of the NBA.
Tonje was drafted 53rd overall by the Utah Jazz, while Crowl signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the team, giving him the chance to earn a roster spot by competing in the NBA Summer League. Here’s a look back at a decade of recent NBA Badgers and where they are now.
Members of the Back-to-Back Final Four teams headline the cast
Ten years ago, the 2015 NBA Draft class became Wisconsin’s most famous when Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker were drafted ninth and 18th overall, respectively. In 2014 and 2015, the pair led Wisconsin to back-to-back Final Fours. Their crowning achievement came in their upset over Kentucky in the 2015 Final Four, bringing Wisconsin to the NCAA National Championship game for the first time since 1941.
Kaminsky holds the school record for points scored in a single game (43). During his senior season, he led the team in nearly every statistical category, including assists (103), blocks (57), field goal percentage (.547), 3-point field goal percentage (.416), free throws (156) and free throw attempts (200), all while averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Kaminsky was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, where he played until 2019. In July of 2019, he signed with the Phoenix Suns where he played for three seasons, including the 2021 NBA Finals, but was waived in 2022. He played for the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets in the 2022-23 season before playing the 2023-24 season in Europe.
Dekker was Kaminsky’s co-star in their 2015 run to the championship and was second in the NCAA tournament in points per game (19.2) and field goal percentage (.571), only behind Kaminsky. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets where he played for two seasons. Between 2017 and 2019, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, then to the Cleveland Cavaliers and finally the Los Angeles Lakers. He then spent time playing internationally before returning to the NBA in 2021 when he signed with the Toronto Raptors. He was waived in November 2021 after playing in just one game.
A widely forgotten NBA Badger from 2015 is Duje Dukan. Another core part of Wisconsin’s Final Four team, Dukan signed with the Sacramento Kings after going undrafted. He played his first and only NBA game in April of 2016 in a 116-81 loss to the Houston Rockets. He recorded six points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
In 2017, Nigel Hayes-Davis, the third highest scoring Badger of all time and key member of the back-to-back Final Four squads, went undrafted but joined the New York Knicks for the Summer League. After being waived by the Knicks in October 2017, he briefly played for the Lakers and the Raptors, signing 10-day contracts with both teams. In March 2018, the Kings signed him for the rest of the season; he was waived in July.
In the years since, Hayes-Davis has found massive success overseas, winning the EuroLeague title while earning two first-team all EuroLeague selections. He will return to the NBA next season, signing a one-year deal with the Suns.
Aleem Ford joined the NBA G League in 2021 after spending four seasons at Wisconsin, averaging 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and helping the Badgers win a Big Ten regular season championship in 2020. His NBA experience was limited to five games with the Orlando Magic, when he was one of a handful of G League players they signed to 10-day contracts when COVID restrictions during the 2021-2022 season left the team without much of its primary roster.
Most recently, Johnny Davis was selected 10th overall in the 2022 draft by the Washington Wizards after playing two seasons at Wisconsin and being named Big Ten player of the year. His quick ascension to stardom carried with it high hopes for his professional career, which quickly fizzled out. Davis’ transition to the league has been rocky, highlighted by his mediocre offensive numbers. He played three seasons with the Wizards, averaging 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 11.4 minutes per game. In February of this year, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he’s since been waived. Today, Davis is under contract with the Westchester Knicks, G League affiliate of the New York Knicks.
Former Badger center Micah Potter signed a two-way contract with the Jazz in 2022 after going undrafted in 2021. He previously spent time in the Summer League with the Miami Heat and the Knicks in 2021 and 2022. He was also selected to the Team USA Select Team in 2024 where he, along with Hayes-Davis and other professional basketball players, trained with the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.
This season, Potter played in 38 games for the Jazz averaging 18.6 minutes, 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. A transfer from Ohio State, he averaged 11.6 points, 1.0 assist and 6.1 rebounds per game during his two seasons as a Badger.
Former Badger standout Chucky Hepburn, who played out his last year of college at the University of Louisville, joined the NBA’s Toronto Raptors on a two-way contract this year after going undrafted.
