"It was just a surreal year": NBA-bound John Tonje summarizes his experience playing at Greg Gard's Wisconsin

John Tonje expressed his gratitude for his memorable time with the Wisconsin Badgers last season. Tonje entered the 2025 NBA draft following the 2024-25 season, where he posted 19.6 points per game on 46.5% shooting.

In an interview with the Big Ten Network on Wednesday, the 6-foot-5 guard took a fond look back at his lone season with the Badgers.

Asked what helped him excel in Greg Gard's Wisconsin team, Tonje said:

"Yeah, I mean, Wisconsin is a top notch place to play, great coaches, great players, and every day, I was able to push myself and compete with those guys and the coaching staff was amazing, preparing us every day for each game, and it was just, you know, a surreal year, and I learned so much from playing with the Badgers."

Tonje began his collegiate basketball career at Colorado State, where he played for four years and helped the Rams qualify for the 2022 men's NCAA Tournament. Then he transferred to Missouri for his fifth year, but suffered a season-ending injury.

Tonje committed to Wisconsin after initially committing to New Mexico during the 2024-25 season. He produced one of the program's best single-season records, with 37 points in his final collegiate game during Wisconsin's loss to BYU in the Men's NCAA Tournament second round.

The Omaha native earned a second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press, Sporting News and National Association of Basketball Coaches. He also made a unanimous first-team all-conference selection.

John Tonje shines at 2025 NBA draft combine

Former Wisconsin basketball star and All-American John Tonje was having a great time at the NBA combine this past week. Tonje stood out during the event's second full scrimmage, scoring 17 points and totaling seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

The former Badgers shooting guard struggled in his first five-on-five scrimmage, scoring just three points. However, he redeemed himself by making the fifth-best shooting percentage among all participants in his second and final scrimmage of the event.

While his impressive showing might not skyrocket his draft stock overnight, it can be an immense help to get the NBA teams' attention. Tonje is looking to become Wisconsin's fourth first-round pick in the men's professional basketball league since Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker in 2015. He could become the first since Johnny Davis, who went No. 10 overall in 2022.

Currently, Tonje is projected as a mid-second-round selection and likely to be drafted by the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors or New York Knicks.