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John Tonje

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John Tonje
Tonje in 2024
No. 2 – Portland Trail Blazers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-04-23) April 23, 2001 (age 25)
North Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High schoolOmaha Central
(Omaha, Nebraska)
College
NBA draft2025: 2nd round, 53rd overall pick
Drafted byUtah Jazz
Playing career2025–present
Career history
2025–2026Salt Lake City Stars
2026Boston Celtics
2026→Maine Celtics
2026–presentPortland Trail Blazers
2026–present→Rip City Remix
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

John Herbert Tonje (/tɑːnˈdʒeɪ/; born April 23, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Colorado State Rams, Missouri Tigers and Wisconsin Badgers. Tonje was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.

High school career

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Tonje attended Omaha Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he played basketball. As a sophomore, Tonje averaged 1.6 points per game but improved to 13.6 points per game as a junior. He was the second leading scorer for the Omaha Central Eagles during his junior campaign and connected on 46 percent of his three-point attempts. As a senior, Tonje averaged a Nebraska Class A State best 23.8 points along with 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.4 assists per game. He led the Eagles to a 22–6 record and a runner-up finish at the state tournament. His 73 triples and 82 percent free throw accuracy were tops at Class A. He set his school's single-season scoring record as a senior and earned first-team All-State by USA Today and All-Class State All-Tournament team honors.[1]

Recruiting

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Tonje received only 3 NCAA Division I or NCAA Division II offers out of high school from Nebraska Omaha, Missouri Western and Colorado State.[2]

College recruiting
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
John Tonje
SG		 North Omaha, NE Omaha Central (NE) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Mar 11, 2019 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Colorado State Commit List for 2019". Rivals. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  • "ESPN – Colorado State Rams Basketball Recruiting 2019". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved November 16, 2024.

College career

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Colorado State

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Tonje was a key contributor off the bench for the Rams during his freshman and sophomore seasons.[3] Tonje scored a then-career-high 31 points in the first game of his junior season against Oral Roberts.[4] Tonje was a key to the success being dubbed the sixth man that helped lead the Rams to an NIT and getting to the semifinals.[5] Tonje bounced back and forth between the bench and starting lineup throughout his junior season. He was a big part of the success of the 2020–21 Colorado State Rams team that had a program best 16–1 start to the season.[6] Tonje and the Rams qualified for the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as an at-large bid for the program's first time since 2013 finishing the season with a 25–6 record. The sixth-seeded Rams were upset by 11th-seeded Michigan.[7] Tonje became a full-time starter for the first time during his senior season. He posted career-per-game highs in points (14.6), rebounds (4.7), assists (1.3), steals (0.8) and blocks (0.3). Tonje decided to enter the transfer portal after his fourth season due to the extra year of eligibility from to the COVID-19 season rule.[8]

Missouri

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Tonje decided to transfer to Missouri.[9] Tonje only appeared in eight games with the Tigers due to a season-ending foot injury.[10] Tonje was granted a medical redshirt and a sixth year of eligibility. He then decided to enter the transfer portal for a second time.[11]

Wisconsin

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Tonje was ranked as the 296th transfer portal player following the 2023–24 season.[12] Tonje originally committed to Richard Pitino and New Mexico.[13] Less than a week later, Tonje decommitted from New Mexico and committed to Wisconsin.[14] In only his fourth career game with the Badgers, Tonje scored a career-high 41 points in an upset victory over the ninth-ranked Arizona Wildcats. His 41 points were the fourth most in a single game in Badgers history. Tonje also broke the Wisconsin single-game record for made free throws with 21.[15][16] Tonje was a unanimous pick to the first-team All-Big Ten following the regular season.[17] On March 22, 2025, Tonje set a Wisconsin program record by scoring 37 points in his final collegiate game during a loss in the round of 32 to BYU in the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[18]

Professional career

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Salt Lake City Stars (2025–2026)

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Tonje was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 53rd pick in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.[19] On August 26, 2025, Tonje signed a two-way contract with the Jazz. Under the terms of the deal, he would split time between the Jazz and their NBA G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.[20]

Boston Celtics (2026)

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On February 5, 2026, Tonje was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for center Chris Boucher and a future second-round pick.[21] On February 19, the Celtics converted Tonje's two-way contract into a 10-day contract.[22] He made his NBA debut on February 24 against the Phoenix Suns.[23] On March 1, the Celtics signed Tonje to a two-way contract.[24] He made six total appearances for Boston, averaging 2.5 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists.

Portland Trail Blazers (2026–present)

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On July 25, 2026, Tonje signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.[25]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2025–26 Boston 607.0.286.3001.0001.0.3.3.02.5
Career 607.0.286.3001.0001.0.3.3.02.5

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Colorado State 3108.4.461.435.6771.0.3.2.03.6
2020–21 Colorado State 28120.2.389.313.8572.9.8.4.26.6
2021–22 Colorado State 301225.3.461.364.8213.0.9.4.29.1
2022–23 Colorado State 333331.3.473.389.8154.71.3.8.314.6
2023–24 Missouri 849.8.500.3331.000.9.4.3.12.6
2024–25 Wisconsin 373731.1.465.388.9095.31.8.7.219.6
Career 1678723.0.457.378.8583.41.0.5.210.8

Personal life

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Tonje is the son of Sara and Jean. His father, Jean "Bertin" Tonje, is a native of Cameroon and played soccer for the Cameroon national football team. He has two brothers, Malcolm and Texan. He earned his bachelor's degree from Colorado State in Business/Real Estate and is currently studying Sports Leadership as a graduate student.[26]

Tonje is a Christian. He frequently mentions his faith on social media. He has said, "Sometimes it's hard to believe. Last night, I was reading an article about being All-American, which, I mean, doesn't even look right. But, with work and my belief in God, I think anything's possible."[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "John Tonje Wisconsin Bio". uwbadgers.com. November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ "John Tonje 247 profile". 247Sports. August 5, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ "5 takeaways: David Roddy stars in a resilient comeback effort from Colorado State in the Paradise Jam". thednvr.com. November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ "John Tonje, Dischon Thomas stand out in a dominant team performance by the Rams". thednrv.com. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Year-in-review: John Tonje shined as Colorado State's sixth man". tdnvr.com. April 12, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  6. ↑ "CSU Runs Record to Program Best 15-1 With 73-53 Win At Air Force". csurams.com. January 22, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  7. ↑ Cannizzaro, Mark (March 17, 2022). "Michigan storms back to top Colorado State as March Madness 2022 begins". nypost.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  8. ↑ "CSU Basketball updates: John Tonje enters transfer portal, McKenna Hofschild will be back". nypost.com. March 22, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Summer Sessions: John Tonje". missouri.rivals.com. July 24, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  10. ↑ Lewis, Jaden (2024-01-16). "Mizzou basketball announces John Tonje will miss the remainder of the regular season". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  11. ↑ "REPORT: John Tonje set to enter the transfer portal". rockmnation.com. April 15, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Taking stock of 15 transfer portal ranking misses from the 2024 cycle". 247Sports. February 6, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Missouri transfer guard John Tonje commits to New Mexico". on3.com. April 25, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Wisconsin lands commitment from Missouri transfer guard John Tonje". baderswire.usatoday.com. May 2, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Wisconsin guard John Tonje is wasting no time making his mark at his new school". apnews.com. November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Where does John Tonje's 41-point game rank in Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball history?". jsonline.com. November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Big Ten Announces 2025 Men's Basketball Postseason Honors". bigten.org. March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Wisconsin star John Tonje falls just shy of Frank Kaminsky's single-season scoring record". badgerswire.usatoday.com. March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  19. ↑ Cox, Lorin (July 4, 2025). "What Utah Jazz are getting in Wisconsin Badgers guard John Tonje". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Utah Jazz Sign John Tonje to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. August 26, 2025. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Utah Jazz Acquire Chris Boucher and a Future Second-Round Draft Pick". NBA.com. February 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Celtics' John Tonje: Earns 10-day deal". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  23. ↑ Terada, Souichi (February 26, 2026). "Boston Celtics rookie makes NBA debut after trade deadline deal". Masslive.com. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Celtics' John Tonje: Staying in Boston on two-way deal". cbssports.com. March 1, 2026. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Portland Trail Blazers Sign John Tonje to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 2026-07-25. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  26. ↑ "2024–25 Men's Basketball Roster John Tonje". Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  27. ↑ "BASKETBALL SUPERSTAR PRAYS: 'GOD GIVE ME COURAGE'". Movieguide.org. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
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