The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537777
64 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2025 ❱ MICHIGAN IN THE PROS off the board in the first round. That marked the first time in school history the Wolverines had a trio picked in the top 15 in the same year and tied the pro- gram record with three first-rounders in an event, joining the 2001 and 1995 drafts. U-M has now had a first-round choice in each of the last seven drafts. Michigan had a one-year hiatus from the NBA Draft but returned in style, with forward/center Danny Wolf be- coming the program's 12th first-round pick in the last 13 years, going No. 27 overall to the Brooklyn Nets. The Maize and Blue have had 68 all-time selec- tions, including 32 first-rounders. In ice hockey, sophomore forward Will Horcoff became the Wolverines' 35th first-round selection in history, with the Pittsburgh Penguins choosing him No. 24 overall. He was one of a program- record seven draftees this year, tying the 1990, 2007, 2015 and 2021 events. Six of the selections will be incoming freshmen for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Infielder Mitch Voit became the base- ball team's first MLB draft pick since Connor O'Halloran went in the fifth round in 2023. At No. 38 overall in the first round to the New York Mets, Voit stands as the Wolverines' highest- drafted player since David Parrish in 2000 (No. 28 overall). The Milwaukee native is U-M's seventh first-round pick in history. With the 20th pick in the MLS Su- perDraft, the LA Galaxy took Wolver- ine standout defender/midfielder Ja- son Bucknor, the program's first draftee since 2020 (Jack Hallahan, Andrew Verdi) and fourth-ever first-rounder. Michigan men's lacrosse kept its PLL momentum going with defender Pace Billings coming off the board to the Denver Outlaws at No. 19 overall in the third round. He's the third Wolverine to be chosen in the last two years, joining Beau Pederson and Michael Boehm in 2024, and the program's fifth overall pick since the league took shape in 2019. Michigan women's basketball saw guard Jordan Hobbs selected by the Se- attle Storm with the 34th overall pick in the third round of the WNBA Draft. A Springboro, Ohio, native, Hobbs is one of five players in U-M history to make four NCAA Tournaments and one of nine to be drafted to the WNBA. ❏ Caris LeVert • NBA The veteran is set to play for his fifth team in the last 10 seasons, inking a two-year, $29 million deal with the Detroit Pistons this offseason. He began last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and was moved to the At- lanta Hawks ahead of the trade deadline. LeVert averaged 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26 appearances for the Hawks. Duncan Robinson • NBA The former Michigan sharpshooter declined his $20 million early termina- tion option to become a free agent. The 31-year-old agreed to a three-year, $48 million deal with the Detroit Pistons after spending his first seven years in the NBA with the Miami Heat. Robinson shot 39.3 percent from long range and averaged 11 points per game last season. Tim Hardaway Jr. • NBA The 33-year-old helped the Detroit Pistons make the playoffs for the first time since 2019, before signing with the Denver Nuggets in free agency this offseason. Hardaway agreed to a one-year contract with Denver for a reported vet-minimum salary of $3.6 million. — Clayton Sayfie HEADLINERS Former Michigan athletes in the news this month Defensive lineman Kenneth Grant (13th overall, Miami Dolphins) was one of a record three Wolverines selected among the top 15 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft, joining fellow defensive lineman Mason Graham (No. 5, Cleveland Browns) and tight end Colston Loveland (No. 10, Chicago Bears). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL