One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s best players is looking to take his talents elsewhere.
Wisconsin guard John Blackwell will be entering the transfer portal while also going through the NBA draft process, he told ESPN and later announced on social media on April 6.
Blackwell described the decision to enter the portal and draft as “one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make because my experience here has been nothing short of incredible.”
“The work I’ve put in alongside the guidance and direction I’ve received from Coach [Greg] Gard and his staff has helped me grow into a player I didn’t know I could become,” Blackwell said in an Instagram post. “But that growth is exactly what’s driving this decision. I believe I owe it to myself and my family to chase the highest level I can reach, and this is the right time to take that step and leap of faith.”
Blackwell departs after a junior season in which he often played at an exceptional level. The 6-foot-4 guard scored 30-plus points in five games in 2025-26, including back-to-back Big Ten tournament games.
He averaged 19.1 points per game, which ranked second on the team behind Nick Boyd and eighth in the Big Ten. He earned third-team all-Big Ten honors after the season. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has been among the many coaches who have publicly praised Blackwell.
With Blackwell’s departure and several seniors exhausting eligibility, the Badgers have lost four of their top six scorers (Blackwell, Nick Boyd, Braeden Carrington and Andrew Rohde) from the 2025-26 season. Of the remaining top scorers, Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp could return for another season.
UW guards who could return for 2025-26 include Jack Janicki, Hayden Jones and Zach Kinziger. Wisconsin has added high school recruit LaTrevion Fenderson and international recruits Jackson Ball and Owen Foxwell at the guard position.
Blackwell is the third Badger to announce plans to enter the transfer portal, which will open April 7. He is the first to enter the portal after having a major on-court role, however. Backup forward Jack Robison, who played sparingly in two seasons in Madison, was the first on March 24. Riccardo Greppi then announced his plans on March 28 after also rarely playing in two seasons.
The Badgers now have five open roster spots ahead of the start of the 15-day transfer portal window.
Blackwell’s departure is not entirely a surprise. While some of his teammates made clear their intentions (or at least desire) to return to the Badgers, Blackwell said he did not know his plans in the immediate aftermath of UW’s season-ending loss to High Point.
Blackwell could potentially make considerably more money at his next school. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, for example, told the Associated Press that Kentucky offered him $7 million to $9 million when he was deciding where to transfer after leaving UAB.
UW general manager Marc VandeWettering has previously said that “you can always find somebody that’s got more money.”
“What we’ve done at Wisconsin is build really good teams with whatever resources that we have for us, and that goes back to pre-NIL,” VandeWettering told the Journal Sentinel before the 2025-26 season ended.
Blackwell also declared for the NBA draft after the 2024-25 season and received valuable feedback before withdrawing and returning to the Badgers for his junior season. ESPN projected Blackwell to be the 65th-best player in this year’s draft class.
“My prayer is that you understand my decision,” Blackwell said in the Instagram post. “Madison will always be second home to me for the rest of my life. This place and this community will always be part of who I am. Thank you for everything!”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin losing John Blackwell as star guard says he’s entering transfer portal
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
