Hawks select St. John's star Zuby Ejiofor with No. 23 pick in NBA draft

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Jun 23, 2026

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NEW YORK — Zuby Ejiofor is headed to the Atlanta Hawks.

Atlanta selected the St. John’s forward/center with the No. 23 pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft at Barclays center.

He brings toughness to a Hawks frontcourt.

The Hawks selected Ejiofor one pick before the Knicks were set to go at No. 24.

Ejiofor emerged as a face of the St. John’s turnaround over the past two seasons, helping lead the Red Storm to back-to-back Big East regular-season and conference-tournament championships.

As a senior in 2025-26, Ejiofor averaged 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. He was the only high-major player in the country to lead his team in all four categories.

That production and winning pedigree propelled Ejiofor to numerous honors, including the Big East’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was one of four finalists for the national Naismith Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

Known for his physicality and motor, Ejiofor measured at 6-8 and 245 pounds at the NBA scouting combine.

He’s smaller than a traditional center — some critics labeled him a “tweener” — but Ejiofor has a history of odds-defiance, transforming from a little-used depth player during his freshman year at Kansas and sophomore year at St. John’s into a heart-and-soul player for the Red Storm.

“I’ve watched guys like Bam [Adebayo],” Ejiofor said at last month’s combine.

“I’ve watched guys like Giannis [Antetokounmpo] — not exactly who he is, but how he gets downhill. He’s a physical player and he’s able to create for himself, for others, mismatch opportunities. I feel like those are some people I can emulate into my game to help me at the next level.”

Ejiofor shot 53.6% from the field and 30.5% on 3-pointers last season. St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino suggested in a pre-draft social-media post that Ejiofor would be an improved perimeter player in the NBA, citing his “excellent form.”

Pitino previously said whichever team drafts Ejiofor would be getting a “special, special young man.”

“They’re going to get a relentless player who is going to be around for 12, 13 years of helping to create a winning culture,” Pitino said last month.

Ejiofor is the first St. John’s player to be drafted since 2015, when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Sir’Dominic Pointer with the No. 53 pick.

He might not be the last one in this draft, as forwards Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins are both considered potential second-round picks.