Kon Knueppel’s media availability at NBA draft combine.
Kon Knueppel II had his media availability at the NBA combine in Chicago.
Kon Knueppel’s selection at No. 4 in the 2025 NBA Draft makes him the highest-selected Wisconsin high-school alumnus in the history of the modern draft, and the highest since Glen Selbo of La Crosse was taken No. 2 in the 1947 Basketball Association of America draft. The league later merged to become the NBA.
Take a look back over the past 40-plus years at all the Wisconsin products selected in the NBA Draft.
Kon Knueppel II (2025)
No. 4 to Charlotte Hornets (attended Wisconsin Lutheran)
The Wisconsin Lutheran High School alumnus led his team to an undefeated state championship, then played one year at Duke where he helped the Blue Devils reach the Final Four. He became the highest draft pick from a Wisconsin high school in the modern NBA draft. Knueppel’s Duke teammate Cooper Flagg was taken first overall, and another Blue Devil, Khaman Maluach, was taken 10th.
Brandin Podziemski (2023)
No. 19 to Golden State Warriors (attended St. John’s Northwestern Academies)
Podziemski first attended Illinois but transferred to Santa Clara, then made a big bet on himself by declaring for the draft with two years of eligibility remaining. It paid off when he soared up draft boards and was taken by the Warriors. It marked the fifth straight year a Wisconsinite was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft and the seventh first-rounder taken in that stretch. It also was the second straight year Golden State had taken someone from the Badger State. Podziemski finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting that season.
Johnny Davis (2022)
No. 10 to Washington Wizards (La Crosse Central)
Davis enjoyed a meteoric rise at Wisconsin, jumping from a quality bench player as a freshman to the Big Ten Player of the Year and a lottery pick as a sophomore. Davis led UW to a tie for the 2022 Big Ten regular-season title. He became Wisconsin’s first draft pick since Frank Kaminsky went ninth in 2015 and just UW’s fourth top-10 pick since 1950. Davis scored 5.8 points per game in 28 contests as a rookie in 2022-23 but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2024-25 season and was released. He spent the rest of last season in the G League.
Patrick Baldwin (2022)
No. 28 to Golden State Warriors (Sussex Hamilton)
Baldwin was one of the most highly ranked high school players in state history, with the opportunity to play at any high-profile college program he wanted. He chose to stay home and committed to UW-Milwaukee to play for his father, Pat Sr., but things didn’t go quite as planned. After an injury-riddled senior year at Hamilton, injuries kept him off the floor for most of the season with the Panthers as well, and he went into the draft with diminished prospect standing. But he still landed in the first round, going to the team that also won the 2022 NBA title with two Milwaukeeans in the starting lineup, no less. He wound up scoring 3.9 points per game in 31 games as a rookie with the Warriors and was dealt with Jordan Poole to the Wizards before the 2023-24 season, then to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jalen Johnson (2021)
No. 20 to Atlanta Hawks (Nicolet)
One of the country’s top prospects, Johnson briefly played at Duke before sustaining an injury and then leaving the team. At his next stop, he played in 22 games as a rookie, scoring 2.4 points per game and 1.2 rebounds. He played in 70 games in his second year, jumping to 5.6 points per contest. He was enjoying a massive 2024-25 season with 18.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game before an injury cut his season short at 36 games.
Tyrese Haliburton (2020)
No. 12 to Sacramento Kings (Oshkosh North).
The Iowa State sophomore was projected by most mock drafts to land in the top 10, meaning the Kings got a steal when the former Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year tumbled as far as he did. Haliburton had a great rookie year, averaging 13.0 points and 5.3 assists per game and landing on the NBA’s All-Rookie first team, but the Kings traded him to Indiana midway through his second season. He flourished and became an all-star in 2022-23, finishing with 20.7 points and 10.4 assists per game and only got better from there, adding another all-star campaign the following year. His teams twice beat the Bucks in the playoffs, including in 2024-25, when he delivered a virtuoso performance to get the Pacers to Game 7 of the NBA Finals before a devastating Achilles injury.
Tyler Herro (2019)
No. 13 to Miami Heat (Whitnall)
The University of Kentucky product had a huge freshman season for the Wildcats and wound up in the lottery, then followed that up with an eye-catching rookie season (second team all-rookie) and trip to the NBA Finals. He averaged 15.1 points per game in 2021. After regressing slightly as a second-year player, Herro averaged 20.7 points, five rebounds and four assists per game and won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2021-22, helping the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals. It was the first of four straight years averaging 20 points per game, culminating with his first all-star game selection in 2025.
Jordan Poole (2019)
No. 29 to Golden State Warriors (Milwaukee King)
After a season at La Lumiere Prep School in Indiana and two seasons at Michigan, Poole was selected by the powerhouse Warriors to join another former member of the City Conference, Kevon Looney. Poole averaged 8.8 points per game in his first season and 12.0 last season, but he had a true breakout in 2021-22, becoming one of the key players for a team that won yet another NBA title. He averaged 18.5 points per game and had some monster moments in the postseason. After two high-scoring seasons with the Wizards, he was traded to Atlanta in late June 2025.
Kostas Antetokounmpo (2018)
No. 60 to Philadelphia 76ers (Dominican)
Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of Giannis who spent a couple seasons playing for the basketball power in Whitefish Bay, ultimately wound up with the Dallas Mavericks and played in two games after going with the final pick of the 2018 draft. In 2019 as a two-way player with the Los Angeles Lakers, he became the first member of his family to win an NBA championship ring. But not the last.
Henry Ellenson (2016)
No. 18 to Detroit Pistons (Rice Lake)
The Marquette University freshman was selected by the Detroit Pistons. He last played two games in the 2020-21 season with the Toronto Raptors.
Diamond Stone (2016)
No. 40 to New Orleans Pelicans (Dominican)
The four-time state champion big man spent one year at Maryland before bouncing to the NBA. He played in seven games in 2016-17.
Sam Dekker (2015)
No. 18 to Houston Rockets (Sheboygan Area Lutheran)
The former University of Wisconsin standout helped the Badgers reach two Final Fours. He’s bounced around a little and briefly appeared to be headed to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018 during a three-team trade. He briefly returned to the NBA with Toronto in 2021-22 but played in only one game.
Kevon Looney (2015)
No. 30 to Golden State Warriors (Milwaukee Hamilton)
After one year at UCLA, Looney became a key rotation member for a squad that won four NBA championships in his 10 years, and he just signed a free-agent deal with New Orleans. He’s appeared in 74 or more games each of the past four seasons.
J.P. Tokoto (2015)
No. 58 to Philadelphia 76ers (Menomonee Falls)
A former prep sensation who played at North Carolina, didn’t ultimately get into an NBA game. He has played overseas in the years since.
Kyle Weaver (2008)
No. 38 to Charlotte Bobcats (Beloit Memorial)
After a productive career at Washington State, Weaver wound up playing three seasons in the NBA, including 56 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a rookie.
Mike Taylor (2008)
No. 55 to Portland Trail Blazers (Milwaukee Marshall)
He played 51 games in his lone NBA season.
Carl Landry (2007)
No. 31 to Seattle Supersonics (Milwaukee Vincent)
The Purdue alumnus started his career in Houston and actually wound up playing nine seasons in the league, averaging 10.8 points per game.
Steve Novak (2006)
No. 32 to Houston Rockets (Brown Deer)
After a memorable career at Marquette, Novak spent 11 seasons in the NBA, including a couple years with the Bucks at the end of his career. He was a career 43 percent shooter from three-point range.
Travis Diener (2005)
No. 38 to Orlando Magic (Fond du Lac)
One of the heroes of Marquette’s run to the 2003 Final Four spent five seasons in the NBA, including a year in Indiana where he averaged more than 20 minutes per game.
Devin Harris (2004)
No. 5 to Washington Wizards (Wauwatosa East).
Harris, a standout for the University of Wisconsin, played in the NBA through the 2018-19 season, most recently with the Dallas Mavericks, with whom he spent 10 of his 15 NBA seasons.
Reece Gaines (2003)
No. 15 to Orlando Magic (Madison West).
The Louisville alumnus played three seasons in the NBA, including two with the Bucks from 2004 through 2006.
Caron Butler (2002)
No. 10 to Miami Heat (Racine Park).
Butler was last in the league in 2015-16, and his 14-season career included a stop in Milwaukee in 2013-14. He’s a two-time all star with the Wizards in 2007 and 2008 and now serves as an assistant coach for Miami, which reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2021-22.
Wisconsin players selected in the 1990s
Rodney Buford (Milwaukee Vincent), No. 53 to Miami Heat in 1999. Buford went to Creighton University and wound up spending five NBA seasons with five different teams, plus a year in between playing in Greece. He averaged close to 10 points per game for Memphis in 2001-02.
Jim McIlvaine (Racine St. Catherine’s), No. 32 to Washington Bullets in 1994. The Marquette University big man spent seven seasons in the NBA, then returned to Milwaukee to become the color commentator for the Marquette men’s basketball team radio broadcasts.
Nick Van Exel (Kenosha St. Joseph), No. 37 to Los Angeles Lakers in 1993. Van Exel, a star at Cincinnati, finished with 13 seasons in the NBA, including an all-star campaign with the Lakers in 1998. He averaged 14.4 points in his career and 6.6 assists.
Latrell Sprewell (Milwaukee Washington), No. 24 to Golden State Warriors in 1992. Sprewell is known for his colorful personality but also an excellent NBA career, with four all-star appearances in 13 seasons with the Warriors, new York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Tony Bennett (Green Bay Preble), No. 35 to Charlotte Hornets in 1992. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay standout and son of Dick Bennett played three years in the NBA, but he’s fashioned a huge second phase to his career as a college head coach. He was at the helm when the Virginia Cavaliers won the 2019 NCAA championship.
Von McDade (Milwaukee Madison), No. 53 to New Jersey Nets in 1991. McDade also played at Milwaukee Vincent and spent time at Oklahoma State and UW-Milwaukee, where he was third in the nation in scoring at 29.6 points per game. He did not play in the NBA.
Tony Smith (Wauwatosa East), No. 51 to Los Angeles Lakers in 1990. Smith, a Marquette University standout who’s a local talk radio and TV personality today, ultimately spent nine seasons in the league, including a brief stint with the Bucks.
Wisconsin players selected in the 190s
Rick Olson (Madison La Follette), No. 158 to Houston Rockets in 1986. Olson didn’t play in the NBA, but he was among the last players drafted after a decorated career at the University of Wisconsin in which he became the school’s all-time leader in games played and finished just shy of the all-time scoring mark. He’s still No. 8 as of 2022.
Joe Wolf (Kohler), No. 13 to Los Angeles Clippers in 1987. One of the most recruited players in state history wound up at North Carolina, and he eventually spent 11 seasons in the NBA. In 1996-97, he played 56 games with the Bucks.
JJ Weber (Kettle Moraine), No. 64 to Milwaukee Bucks in 1987. He’s still one of the top-three scorers in Kettle Moraine history and was a force during his days at Wisconsin, where he averaged 15 points and eight rebounds as a senior.
Tim Naegeli (Racine Lutheran), No. 137 to Boston Celtics in 1987. He became an NAIA All-American under Dick Bennett at UW-Stevens Point, but he never suited up in the league.
Terry Porter (Milwaukee South), No. 24 to Portland Trail Blazers in 1985. A star at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Porter went on to a memorable career with the Blazers, twice earning all-star status in his 17 seasons with one of the league’s best franchises at the time. He became head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks from 2003 to 2005.
Terrell Schlundt (Antigo), No. 148 to Dallas Mavericks in 1983. He never played in the NBA but was a consistent contributor to Marquette University in the early 1980s.
Tony Carr (Beloit Memorial), No. 135 to Milwaukee Bucks in 1982. The NAIA All-American at UW-Eau Claire still holds the single season and career scoring mark at the school. He was taken in the sixth round by the Bucks but never played in the NBA.
Dean Marquardt (Milwaukee Washington), No. 147 to Detroit Pistons in 1982. The center played four years with Marquette but never got into an NBA game.
Brian Nyenhuis (Oostburg), No, 170 to Detroit Pistons in 1982. He played two years for UW-Milwaukee and Marquette before getting drafted, though he didn’t play in the NBA.
Bob Coenen (De Pere), No. 223 to Milwaukee Bucks in 1982. The 10th round pick didn’t appear in the NBA but remains on the UW-Eau Claire all-time leaderboard in blocks and rebounds.
Harvey Knuckles (Racine St. Catherine’s), No. 39 to Los Angeles Lakers in 1981. After his career at Toledo, Knuckles didn’t make the Lakers but did play in the Continental Basketball Association.
Terry Cramer (Homestead), No. 155 to New York Knicks in 1981. Cramer remains the lone Ripon College player drafted in the NBA.
Joe Merten (Kenosha Tremper), No. 207 to Utah Jazz in 1981. He made two NAIA Final Fours with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and played in the summer league for the Jazz but did not make the regular-season roster, though he did go on to make an all-star game in the Continental Basketball Association.
Bill Hanzlik (Beloit Memorial), No. 20 to Seattle Supersonics in 1980. He averaged 7.2 points per game over 10 seasons, mostly playing for Denver. He averaged double figures in back-to-back seasons from 1985 to 1987.
Dick Miller (St. Thomas More), No. 40 Indiana Pacers in 1980. The Toledo product played with two teams (eight games) in his lone NBA season.
Kurt Nimphius (South Milwaukee), No. 47 to Denver Nuggets in 1980. He spent eighth seasons in the NBA after playing for Wisconsin native Ned Wulk at Arizona State.
Joe Chrnelich (Milwaukee Pius), No. 82 to New York Knicks in 1980. Chrnelich was the first University of Wisconsin player to average double figures all four seasons, though he didn’t rack up any NBA stats.
Jeff Wolf (Kohler), No. 86 to Milwaukee Bucks in 1980. The older brother of legendary Kohler star Joe Wolf also attended North Carolina and played five years in Europe and Japan.
First-rounders and other notable Wisconsin players drafted before the 1980sWayne Kreklow (Neenah), No. 53 to Boston Celtics in 1979. Kreklow played 25 games for the Celtics in his one season, a year in which Boston went on to win the NBA title.Jim Chones (Racine St. Catherine), No. 31 to Los Angeles Lakers in 1973. The Marquette University legend won an NBA title with the Lakers in 1979-80 and played a decade in the ABA and NBA.Mike Ratliff (Racine Horlick), No. 28 to Kansas City/Omaha Kings in 1972. He starred at UW-Eau Claire and then briefly in the NBA (60 games) after getting taken in the second round. Fred Brown (Milwaukee Lincoln), No. 6 to Seattle SuperSonics in 1971. Attended college in Iowa after a storied high school career, where he teamed with players like Clarence Sherrod and John Rusing to formulate perhaps the best team in state history. He made one NBA all-star team during his 13-year NBA career, all in Seattle, and was part of the 1978-80 NBA champion team (along with John Johnson and Jack Sikma).John Johnson (Messmer), No. 7 to Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970. The two-time All-Star won an NBA championship with Seattle and played 12 years in the league.Don Kojis (Notre Dame in Milwaukee), No. 21 to Cleveland Cavaliers in 1965. After a huge career at Marquette, Kojis played 12 years in the NBA and made two all-star teams.Bob Anderegg (Monroe), No. 20 to New York Knicks in 1959. Anderegg played 33 games in his lone NBA season.Ron Sobie (St. Bonaventure in Sturtevant), No. 6 to Fort Wayne Pistons in 1956. Sobie attended DePaul and played three-plus seasons with the Knicks.Chuck Mencel (Eau Claire High School), No. 55 in Minneapolis Lakers in 1955. The University of Minnesota product played for two seasons with the Lakers.Glen Selbo (La Crosse Logan), No. 2 to Toronto Huskies in 1947. Selbo went No. 2, though this was the Basketball Association of America, which merged after three years with the NBL to become the NBA. Selbo is credited with one year in the NBA, and 13 games overall.