Wisconsin basketball star worked out with four NBA teams before return to Madison
Wisconsin basketball star John Blackwell worked out with several NBA teams prior to officially withdrawing from the 2025 draft and returning to the Badgers for the 2025-26 season.
Blackwell, who will officially don the Badger threads for at least one more season as a junior, worked out with the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trailblazers and Philadelphia 76ers before sharing his plans to return to school on Wednesday.
While the Michigan native's NBA prospects remained slim throughout the pre-draft process, Blackwell capitalized on the opportunity to showcase his skill set in front of NBA scouts and executives. Outside of exposure, those workouts traditionally enable players to bolster their draft status down the line and hone in on specific facets of their games to improve.
The rising junior guard did not receive an invitation to the NBA combine or the G League Elite Camp, but he did participate in Life Sports Agency's pro day at the Los Angeles Lakers' training facility, another NBA venue. For a player who will not lace up in the NBA this fall, Blackwell certainly loaded his offseason itinerary with professional basketball at the front of his mind.
Blackwell will return to Madison as the unquestioned No. 1 option for Greg Gard's group. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 31.2 minutes, 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game off 45% from the field and 32% from 3-point range as a sophomore during the 2024-25 slate, enough to earn an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection.
The guard played second fiddle to All-American wing John Tonje, who projects to land in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft, throughout his second season in Madison. Still, Blackwell recorded eight games of at least 20 points, including a pair of games with 30 points or more.
The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native will take the hardwood alongside transfers Nick Boyd, Austin Rapp and Andrew Rohde in the starting lineup, with rising junior forward Nolan Winter also returning to help lead the team. That starting unit projects to be one of the more formidable in the Big Ten.
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