(Carver-Hawkeye Arena — KIWA Staff Photo)
Iowa City, Iowa and Ames, Iowa (RI) — Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz and Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson were selected and traded during the opening round of the NBA Draft.
Stirtz was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 16th pick, then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his only season at Iowa, Stirtz led the Hawkeyes at nearly 20 points per game and was named All-Big Ten. He is Iowa’s highest draft pick since Keegan Murray was taken 4th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2022.
Jefferson was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 28th pick, then traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He averaged nearly 16.5 points this past season for the Cyclones and was named a second-team All-American. He is Iowa State’s highest draft pick since Tyrese Haliburton was taken 12th overall, also by the Sacramento Kings in 2020.
