Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. will remain in the 2026 NBA draft, his representatives at CAA Basketball confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
The decision comes less than two months after the 6-foot-9 sophomore helped the Wolverines capture the national championship. Johnson, who started all 40 games for Michigan, boosted his stock at last week’s draft combine in Chicago by posting a plus-6.25-inch wingspan and recording the fourth-fastest lane-agility time.
“I am excited to chase my lifelong dream of playing in the NBA,” Johnson said in a statement, adding that each stop in his career “has prepared me for this moment.”
Rapid rise in Ann Arbor
Johnson transferred to Michigan after a freshman season at Illinois in which he started eight contests. Under first-year coach Dusty May, he averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 62.3% from the field, earning All-Big Ten and All-Defensive honors.
In his Wolverines debut, Johnson set a career high with 24 points and ultimately logged nine double-doubles, including 12 points and 10 rebounds in the title-game win over UConn.
Projected first-round pick
ESPN’s post-lottery mock draft slotted Johnson at No. 17 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, joining teammates Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg as potential top-20 selections. The trio anchored a frontcourt that powered Michigan to a 37-3 record, a 19-1 Big Ten mark and 29 wins by double figures.
Wolverines eye frontcourt reload
With all three stars turning professional, May has already tapped the transfer portal for frontcourt help, adding Moustapha Thiam from Cincinnati and J.P. Estrella from Tennessee. They will join returners Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, along with five-star recruit Brandon McCoy, on a roster that ranked No. 3 in ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25.
“To my teammates, Coach May, the entire staff, my academic support, teachers and friends, thank you — I will forever be a Michigan Wolverine,” Johnson said.
Source: ESPN
