Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. declares for 2026 NBA Draft

Michigan Wolverines basketball forward Morez Johnson Jr. has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, he announced ahead of the April 24 deadline. He has until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 27 to withdraw and retain his collegiate eligibility.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Riverdale, Ill., native spent his first year at Illinois before transferring to Michigan and winning a national championship in 2025-26. He has two seasons of college eligibility remaining but will forgo them if he remains in the draft past the deadline.

Johnson was a second-team All-Big Ten selection and named to the conference’s All-Defensive Team in 2025-26.

Starting all 40 games last season at Michigan, Johnson averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 65.8 percent on twos (183-of-278), 34.3 percent on threes (12-of-35) and 78.2 percent at the free throw line (122-of-156).

Johnson ranked 44th nationally with a 131.1 offensive rating, per KenPom, with a 64.2 effective field goal percentage (32nd). Elite on the glass, Johnson checked in 96th in the sport with a 12.8-percent offensive rebounding rate.

Johnson scored in double figures in five of Michigan’s six NCAA Tournament games on the way to the national title, highlighted by 21 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field in a 101-80 win over Howard in the first round. In the 69-63 national championship game win over UConn, Johnson scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting — 10 of them coming in the first half — with 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal to mark a double-double.

Last summer, Johnson played for Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Cup, helping his country win its ninth gold medal in the event’s history. Johnson posted 15 points and 10 rebounds in the gold medal game, a blowout win over Germany. He played in all seven contests, averaging 9.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 18.5 minutes. Johnson ranked fourth in the World Cup with 12 blocks and 13th with 45 rebounds.

A standout freshman in 2024-25, Johnson played for head coach Brad Underwood at Illinois, where he was committed for years. Considering how long he had been affiliated with the program, most of the time as a recruit, it was stunning that Johnson chose to transfer.

At Illinois, Johnson registered 7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, competing in 30 contests with eight starts. He missed significant time in the middle of the Big Ten season with a wrist injury that occurred while blocking a transition layup against Michigan State and falling awkwardly. Johnson shot 64.2 percent from the field with no three-point attempts.

A Chicago Thornton Township product, Johnson was the No. 29 overall player and No. 5 power forward in the nation in the 2024 class, according to the Rivals industry Ranking.