{"id":709507,"date":"2026-04-13T07:45:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709507\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T07:45:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:45:27","slug":"iowa-states-milan-momcilovic-declares-for-nba-draft-enters-portal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709507\/","title":{"rendered":"Iowa State&#8217;s Milan Momcilovic declares for NBA draft, enters portal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"submission-link-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Ames%2C+IA&amp;city=Ames&amp;type=Update+Existing+Story&amp;headline=Iowa+State%27s+Milan+Momcilovic+declares+for+NBA+draft%2C+enters+portal&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fia%2Fames%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F13%2Fiowa-states-milan-momcilovic-declares-for-nba-draft-enters-portal%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69dc55ccdceb0.jpg\" alt=\"A fractured, cubist-style painting depicting the dynamic motion of a college basketball player, with sharp geometric shapes and planes in the official colors of the Iowa State Cyclones, conceptually representing the transition and evolution of the team's roster.\" width=\"1344\" height=\"768\" class=\"news-image\"\/>Momcilovic&#8217;s departure leaves a void in Iowa State&#8217;s lineup, but opens the door for new talent to emerge and carry on the Cyclones&#8217; basketball legacy.Ames Today<\/p>\n<p>Iowa State standout Milan Momcilovic has declared for the 2026 NBA draft and also entered his name into the transfer portal. Momcilovic led the nation this season with a school-record 136 3-pointers and averaged 16.9 points per game, helping the Cyclones reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in his tenure.<\/p>\n<p>        Why it matters<\/p>\n<p>Momcilovic&#8217;s departure is a significant loss for Iowa State, as he was a key contributor to the team&#8217;s success over the past three seasons. His decision to enter the NBA draft and transfer portal raises questions about the future of the Cyclones&#8217; program and their ability to replace his scoring and shooting production.<\/p>\n<p>                The details<\/p>\n<p>In his three seasons at Iowa State, the 6-foot-8 Momcilovic compiled a 13.2 scoring average in 102 games (101 starts) and made a school-record 260 3-pointers, which is tied for second-most in program history. This past season, he led the nation with 136 made 3-pointers while shooting 48.8% from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n<p>        Momcilovic declared for the NBA draft on Sunday, April 13, 2026.He also entered his name into the transfer portal on the same day.<\/p>\n<p>          The players<\/p>\n<p>          Milan Momcilovic<\/p>\n<p>A 6-foot-8 sharpshooter who led the nation in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage during the 2025-26 season, his third with the Iowa State Cyclones.<\/p>\n<p>T.J. Otzelberger<\/p>\n<p>The head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, who praised Momcilovic&#8217;s contributions to the program and wished him well in pursuing his NBA dreams.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Ames%2C+IA&amp;city=Ames&amp;type=Upload+Story+Photos&amp;headline=Iowa+State%27s+Milan+Momcilovic+declares+for+NBA+draft%2C+enters+portal&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fia%2Fames%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F13%2Fiowa-states-milan-momcilovic-declares-for-nba-draft-enters-portal%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a><br \/>\n                What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-quote\">\u201cThe last three years have been the best of my life, and (Iowa State fans) have been a major part of that. It has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-cite\">\u2014 Milan Momcilovic<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-quote\">\u201cMilan and I have had meaningful discussions about his future over the last couple of weeks. He needs to focus on what is best for him and his family. We can&#8217;t thank him enough for what he has done for our program. We look forward to following him as he pursues his dream of playing in the NBA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-cite\">\u2014 T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State head coach<\/p>\n<p>                What\u2019s next<\/p>\n<p>Momcilovic will now focus on preparing for the 2026 NBA Draft, while also exploring transfer options if he decides not to remain in the draft.<\/p>\n<p>          The takeaway<\/p>\n<p>Momcilovic&#8217;s departure is a significant loss for Iowa State, as he was a key contributor to the team&#8217;s success over the past three seasons. His decision to enter the NBA draft and transfer portal highlights the challenges mid-major programs face in retaining top talent, especially when those players have the opportunity to pursue their professional dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a Momcilovic&#8217;s departure leaves a void in Iowa State&#8217;s lineup, but&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":709508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,6,12],"class_list":{"0":"post-709507","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-draft","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-nba-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116396290143739809","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}