Former Wisconsin Badgers star John Tonje has had an eventful start to his NBA career through just one season.
Selected with the No. 53 pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2025 NBA Draft, Tonje was sent to Utah’s G-League team, where he played alongside fellow former Badgers Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl. The guard earned a big role from the jump as a starter, playing in 31.3 minutes per game for the Salt Lake City Stars.
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In that action, Tonje averaged 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from deep. However, his stint in Utah was short-lived as he was dealt at the trade deadline to the Boston Celtics in a deal that sent veteran forward Chris Boucher and a second-round pick back to the Jazz.
Tonje then saw his first NBA action, being converted from a two-way contract to an NBA contract, and he played in six games for the Celtics over the rest of the regular season. In 7.0 minutes of action per game, Tonje averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds, while shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 30 percent from three.
The wing moved back and forth between the NBA team and Boston’s G-League team, the Maine Celtics. In 11 games with Maine, Tonje averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across 31.5 minutes per contest, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three.
This offseason, Tonje got the chance to play for Boston’s summer league team and turned out a strong performance there. In five games, he averaged 14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists. That got him his next NBA opportunity: a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, which ESPN reported over the weekend.
The deal is a two-year contract, according to HoopsHype, and fills the last two-way slot for the Trail Blazers on their roster, joining Chris Youngblood and forward Jayson Kent.
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