March Madness Sweet 16 star is son of $100m NBA man who won title with Dirk Nowitzki

Andrej Stojakovic is living up to his family name in Illinois.

The 6ft 7in small forward scored 21 points as the No. 3 seed beat VCU 76-55 to reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Getty

Stojakovic enjoyed a standout sophomore season at California before transferring and is now the heartbeat of the Fighting Illini’s March Madness run.

“I think that we’re even closer off the court,” Stojakovic said. “We see how hard we work every single day, and we understand how much this means to us.

“It just translates on the court. We trust each other. We love each other. Now we’ve just got to keep it going.”

Stojakovic’s talents should come as no surprise — his father Peja was fourth in the voting for NBA MVP after averaging 24.2 points in the 2003-04 season.

The Serbian began his career in Europe with Crvena zvezda as a 15-year-old before moving Greece aged 16 to join PAOK.

Selected 14th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 1998, he went on to have a brilliant NBA career and featured prominently in the rivalry with Kobe Bryant‘s Los Angeles Lakers.

The 6ft 10in small forward was renowned as a sharpshooter and won the 3-point contest three years in a row from 2002-2004.

He had his No. 16 jersey retired by the Kings and capped it with his first and only NBA Championship alongside Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. before retiring with around $97 million in career earnings.

Andrej Stojakovic out for March madness glory

Andrej is the oldest of Peja’s three sons at 21 and clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Bizarrely, he is a career 30.3 percent 3-point shooter in college despite his dad’s skill from beyond the arc.

Getty

Getty

Getty

There is more than enough to his game to offset that weakness

But as an overall scorer, Andrej has a lot of talent, and it has brought the Stojakovic name back into the spotlight.

His best chance of rising up draft boards will be starring on the biggest stage, but a tough test against No. 2 Houston awaits Friday.

Per NBA Draft Room, Andrej is a potential second-round pick.

“Peja’s son is a smooth 6-7-wing who has the makings of a future NBA player. He obviously comes from great bloodlines and will get every opportunity to make it at the highest level,” claimed his report.

“He’s got the size and great basketball IQ and plenty of athleticism. Is a good cutter and mover off the ball (former soccer player) who is at his best going to the basket and using his strength to finish through contact.

NBA's Greatest

Greatest NBA players in the world right now – from Luka Doncic to Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama

Best players in NBA history to never win a championship – James Harden and Carmelo Anthony to Allen Iverson and Karl Malone

10 richest owners in the NBA – family empires, media moguls and investment gurus

Michael Jordan’s top 10 scoring games – counting down MJ’s most extraordinary totals

“Has a bit of hitch in his jumper and struggles to shoot the ball from deep. Will have to make improvements with his shooting to have a real shot at the next level.”

While his dad excelled as a shooter, Stojakovic Jr. is a raw athlete.

“He’s extremely skilled, powerful and athletic,” Illinois assistant coach Orlando Antigua told Hoops HQ. “He gets downhill and is explosive at the rim, and he can finish through contact because of his size and athleticism.”

Getty

In comments which will please NBA teams, Stojakovic insists all he cares about is winning.

“For this team to win, I don’t really care how much I play,” he said. “I could play 35 minutes, and I’m gonna go out there and play 35 aggressive minutes.

“Or I could play 20 minutes and I’m gonna go play 20 aggressive minutes. You see that from every single guy on this team. That’s who we are.”

Illinois’ hopes could well rest on Stojakovic’s young shoulders again Friday, fortunately winning is in his blood.