St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor selected by Atlanta Hawks in the 2026 NBA draft

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John's Red Storm looks on during the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game against the Duke Blue Devils at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images D’Angelo Harrison, Shamorie Ponds, Julian Champagnie, Joel Soriano, and R.J. Luis. Over the last eleven years, St. John’s program star after St. John’s program star went undrafted, never realizing the lifelong dream of hearing their name called on that faithful night in June. That drought ended on Tuesday with the selection of the Red Storm’s beloved team captain.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Zuby Ejiofor was picked by the Atlanta Hawks with the 23rd overall selection in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft, making him the first Red Storm player selected in the draft since Sir’Dominic Pointer in 2015, and the program’s first opening-round selection since Moe Harkless in 2012.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Tuesday’s selection was the culmination of years of hard work and unbridled determination by Ejiofor, who committed to Kansas as a four-star high school recruit out of Garland, Texas, and began his college basketball career as an end-of-the-bench center with the Jayhawks before developing into one of the sport’s elite big men at St. John’s.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Ejiofor enters the NBA as one of the most accomplished players in St. John’s basketball history. In each of his two seasons as a full-time starter, he led the Red Storm to Big East tournament and regular season championships, a feat the program had never accomplished before.

class="wp-block-paragraph">As a senior this past season, Ejiofor was not only incredible, but he was irreplaceable. The Johnnies’ two-time captain was the only high-major player to lead his team in scoring, field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game, averaging 16.3 points on 53.6% shooting, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 blocks per contest.

class="wp-block-paragraph">He also became the first player in Big East history to win Conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards in the same season, while carrying the torch for the first St. John’s team to reach the NCAA tournament’s Sweet Sixteen since 1999.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Ejiofor joins a young and scrappy Atlanta Hawks team that will mesh well with his physical style of play. Last season, the Hawks defied expectations following their mid-season trade of franchise face Trae Young, entering the playoffs as of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. They bowed out in the first round to the New York Knicks in six games, owning the conciliatory distinction of being the only playoff team to win more than one game in a series against the eventual NBA champions.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Barring expected moves for Jonathan Kuminga and Zaccharie Risacher, the former St. John’s star will battle for frontcourt minutes with starting center Onyeka Okongwu (15.2 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game in 2025-26), forward Asa Newell (5.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg), and bench player Mouhamed Gueye (4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg).