BROOKLYN — There was a twist to the 16th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
At first, it looked like business as usual. NBA commissioner Adam Silver did his normal routine.
“With the 16th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft,” Silver said, “the Memphis Grizzlies select Bennett Stirtz from the University of Iowa.”
The first hug Stirtz gave out was to his fiancée, Taygen Brown. Then he made the rounds to his mother, father, agent, brothers and Iowa basketball head coach Ben McCollum. Stirtz grabbed a Grizzlies hat as he walked onto the stage to shake Silver’s hand and pose for a photo. The backdrop was Memphis Grizzlies-themed.
But all along, Stirtz knew he was not, in fact, going to Memphis.
He was alerted shortly before the pick that the Grizzlies would be trading him to his actual landing spot, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“My agent — it was probably like a minute before Memphis picked – he’s like, ‘You’re going to OKC,’” Stirtz said. “Before anyone else knew, I knew.”
The fact that Stirtz was officially selected by Memphis will now go down as a mere formality. The former Iowa star is joining the Thunder.
It’s the next chapter in what has been a meteoric rise. Stirtz went from Division II Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa, playing for McCollum at each stop. Stirtz was the centerpiece of an Iowa team that reached the program’s first Elite Eight since 1987.
And now, he is joining a highly-regarded NBA franchise.
The Thunder have become one of the league’s powerhouses, winning an NBA title in 2025 behind one of basketball’s brightest stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The team’s general manager, Sam Presti, and head coach, Mark Daigneault, are also considered among the best of the best.
“I think the fit couldn’t be better,” Stirtz said. “Organization, just the people around it, nothing but good people. Community is great. Love the city of Oklahoma City. So, just excited to create relationships with everyone and get going.”
He joins a franchise in win-now mode. The Thunder’s roster features foundational young pieces like Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. But Oklahoma City was dethroned from its perch atop the NBA last season when Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs knocked them off in the Western Conference finals.
Stirtz can provide what the Thunder lacked in that series loss. With Williams and guard Ajay Mitchell missing time due to injury against the Spurs, Oklahoma City didn’t have enough ball-handling and playmaking outside of Gilgeous-Alexander. Stirtz gives the Thunder more depth in those areas, which is especially valuable if they deal with injuries again.
“He makes everyone around him a lot better,” McCollum told the Register. “He is a perfect fit for the pieces that they have, because of how he can add and make those guys even better than what they already are. He’ll be an exciting addition for them.”
For the second offseason in a row, the Thunder are adding a former Hawkeye. Oklahoma City signed Payton Sandfort after he went undrafted in 2025. Sandfort played for the organization’s G League affiliate, the OKC Blue, and also appeared sparingly in the NBA for the Thunder last season.
Sandfort and Stirtz were never teammates at Iowa and played under different head coaches, but share a common trait of being Hawkeye standouts.
Stirtz is also familiar with Payton’s brother, Pryce, who transferred from Iowa to Nebraska after the hiring of McCollum. Iowa and Nebraska met three times last season — with the Hawkeyes taking the rubber match in the Sweet 16.
“Just that whole family, the Sandforts, super great family, great people,” Stirtz said. “Excited to get to work with him (Payton Sandfort).”
Before acquiring Stirtz, the Thunder selected Aday Mara with the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Mara, who was an important part of Michigan’s national championship team, will be a rookie alongside Stirtz in Oklahoma City.
Stirtz’s NBA Draft suit paid tribute to his unlikely path to the 2026 NBA Draft. The inside of his suit jacket featured the logos from the three college programs he played for — Northwest Missouri State, Drake and Iowa — along with the Liberty High School logo. Stirtz played for his father, Roger, at Liberty High School in Missouri.
“It’s been fun,” McCollum said of the NBA Draft experience. “I think seeing somebody that’s put in so much work to earn his way to the NBA, always sacrifice for his teammates, always put winning first, put loyalty first to people and now he sees the results of all that work. It’s a cool story. From Division II to Drake to the University of Iowa and he continues to get better every step of the way. I think it says a lot about his character and we’re definitely proud of him.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at TTachman@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Why Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz is ‘perfect fit’ for Oklahoma City Thunder
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
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By Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
