AMES — Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson became the latest Cyclone to hear his name called in the NBA Draft, going to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 28 pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Reports indicate the pick is being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal expected to become official July 6.
Jefferson becomes the 42nd NBA Draft pick in Iowa State men’s basketball history and the 11th first-round selection in program history. He is also the first player drafted during T.J. Otzelberger’s time as a head coach.
The selection caps a standout Iowa State career for Jefferson, who became the fifth consensus All-American in Cyclone history and built a reputation as one of the most complete players in college basketball.
Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season. Iowa State said he was the only Power Conference player in the country to average those numbers, and one of only seven players nationally since 1974-75 to do so over a full season.
Jefferson also made Big 12 history by becoming the first player in conference history to record multiple triple-doubles in Big 12 play.
His all-around production helped define Iowa State’s season. Jefferson scored in double figures in 34 games, the third-most such games in a season in school history. His streak of 40 straight games scoring in double figures, dating back to the previous season, ranked as the second-longest in the nation before he suffered an injury in the opening minutes of the NCAA Tournament.
Jefferson also finished last season with 167 assists, tied for the 19th-most in a season in Iowa State history. His 276 assists over two seasons rank 18th on the program’s career list.
A Naismith Trophy Top 10 semifinalist and Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 5 finalist, Jefferson earned All-America honors from six different organizations. He was a first-team All-American by The Sporting News and a consensus second-team All-American.
Jefferson was also a two-time All-Big 12 selection at Iowa State. He earned first-team honors as a senior and second-team honors as a junior after transferring from Saint Mary’s. He was also named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team during his first season with the Cyclones.
Iowa State has now had 15 players drafted since the Big 12 was formed in 1996-97, the fourth-best total in the league during that span. The Cyclones’ seven first-round picks in that period are also the fourth-most in Big 12 history.
Former Cyclones Izaiah Brockington, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert have all logged NBA minutes as players who played under Otzelberger, but Jefferson is the first to be selected in the NBA Draft during Otzelberger’s head coaching tenure.
Now, after two highly productive years in Ames, Jefferson is headed to the NBA — and, if the reported trade becomes official, to Brooklyn.