Michigan basketball celebrates after beating Texas A&M in NCAAs
The Michigan Wolverines celebrated with fans after knocking off Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAAs on Saturday, March 22, 2025 in Denver.
The Michigan basketball program enters the 2025-26 season with a star whom staff members have referred to as “the queen on the chessboard” for his ability to move anywhere — but that line was first used for Danny Wolf in the 2024-25 season.
It’s clear the Wolverines aren’t the only one who see him in that light, after the Brooklyn Nets used their fourth first-round pick on Wolf, No. 27 overall, in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 25, at Barclays Center in New York.
Wolf was one of 24 prospects invited to attend the draft in the “green room,” but it took a little while before he heard his name called.
Wolf breaks a one-year NBA draft drought for the Wolverines, with Jett Howard (No. 11) and Kobe Bufkin (No. 15) in 2023 the most recent U-M picks.
Wolf played just one year in Ann Arbor under May, but made a massive impact in turning the program around. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.6 assists and a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game while shooting 49.7% from the floor. He helped lead U-M to a second-place finish in the Big Ten regular season, the 2025 Big Ten Tournament title and a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Wolf, an Illinois native who transferred to U-M from Yale, was named second-team All-Big Ten and also made the NCAA tourney’s All-South Regional team after he averaged 11.5 points and 10 rebounds in games against UC San Diego and Texas A&M to help Michigan advance to its first Sweet 16 in three years.
The 7-foot, 250-pound big was one of the most versatile players in college basketball, playing both with his back to the basket in true forward situations and dribbling at the top of the key and bringing the ball up court to facilitate the attack.
“Just so exciting to watch those guys live their dreams,” May said to the Free Press about Wolf and fellow U-M draft hopeful Vladislav Goldin. “Nothing better than being able to play a child’s game as an adult and be a part of a team.
“They’ve worked, they’ve earned the position that they’re in and so draft night will be fun watching those two guys, their families and everyone supporting them and sharing those moments.”
Wolf’s recruitment to Michigan could be remembered as perhaps the most important for the program in the transfer portal era. Yaxel Lendeborg, the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal player in 2025, committed to U-M after forgoing the NBA draft and said specifically earlier this summer that the way U-M used Wolf appealed to him. Also, U-M assistant coach and general manager Kyle Church told the Free Press Wolf’s time in Ann Arbor served as a blueprint for how they could use Lendeborg, calling him “Danny Wolf-lite.”
Wolf’s success in coming from a mid-major to the Big Ten was a key selling point; even though Wolf is now chasing his NBA dreams, his time in Ann Arbor is still benefitting the Wolverines.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
