Iowa State’s men’s basketball forward Joshua Jefferson has been named the Gary Thompson Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year.
This comes less than a week after being drafted No. 28 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves and sent to the Brooklyn Nets via a pre-draft trade.
“I knew someone would take a chance on me,” Jefferson said after being drafted.
Jefferson earning this title marks him as the 17th player in program history to do so. The last time the program had an athlete earn the title was in 2017, when Monté Morris achieved it.
Jefferson spent two seasons with the Cyclones after transferring from Saint Mary’s College of the West Coast Conference. While at Iowa State, Jefferson played in and started 70 games.
As a Cyclone, Jefferson tallied 1,029 points, 519 rebounds, 276 assists, 131 steals and 55 blocks.
Over Jefferson’s college career, both with Iowa State and Saint Mary’s, he collected 18 different accolades. During the 2025-26 season, Jefferson earned accolades such as being named to the All-Big 12 First Team, the NABC All-Central Region First Team, The Sporting News First Team All-American, and other All-American teams.
The 2025-26 season saw Jefferson score in double digits in 34 of his 35 games, take a trip to the Sweet 16, and he was the only player in the power conference to average 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.8 minutes per game.
These stats also mark the sixth player ever to average these numbers since 1974-75.
After leading Iowa State to one of its most successful seasons in program history with a visit to the Sweet 16 and a 29-8 record, Jefferson will head to participate in the Nets Summer League.
“I had great coaches that I learned from at both spots,” Jefferson said via a Nets media availability. “Playing under Randy [Bennett] and then T.J. [Otzelberger], they both teach you the standards of what it means to be a pro.”
