Bennett Stirtz (right) greets NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (left) after being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies and then traded the the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Draft on June 23, 2026, in New York
Yuki Iwamura – AP
IOWA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t afraid to trade up for former Hawkeye guard Bennett Stirtz during the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23. Just seconds after Stirtz was called to the stage as the No. 16 overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies, the Thunder swooped in with the trade announcement and brought the Hawkeye to his new home.
And Stirtz got to make his first appearance in Oklahoma City on Friday afternoon.
“It’s been crazy, but a lot of traveling and I’m super excited to be here,” Stirtz said. “It’s just been super fun.”
Executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti helped introduce Stirtz, along with Thunder draft picks Aday Mara (No. 12 overall) and Otega Oweh (No. 41 overall), to their new fanbases for the first time.
Last season, the Thunder were the top team in the Western Conference, finishing the regular season 68-14 under head coach Mark Daigneault. OKC did, however, trade away Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. That put the NBA team in need for some young faces on their bench — that’s where Stirtz can enter the picture.
Stirtz’s showcase in his lone season at Iowa, averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game, helped raise his draft stock for the Thunder to take the chance and grab the guard just as he was taken off the board.
“Bennett is a player that has a great feel for the game, has been successful in multiple levels,” Presti said, “and I think in an NBA context, some of the things that he does will be really amplified.”
The Liberty, Mo. native unites with former Hawkeye Payton Sandfort, who joined the Thunder last year. Stirtz saw the Thunder play as a kid, since it was one of the closest teams to his hometown. Now, he’ll wear the Oklahoma City jersey.
But the biggest change for Stirtz will be on the court. He’ll have more off-ball responsibilities with the Thunder, and it requires the same team-first mindset Stirtz held at Iowa.
Getting to know his new teammates has been, and will be, priority number one while adjusting to life in the pros.
“I haven’t met any of the players yet, but front office, media, coaches, staff — it just feels like a family, very close-knit,” Stirtz said. “None of them have egos or anything like that. They’re all in it for the team, and they’re all in it or OKC. So that’s really special and I want to be a part of it.”
Next up for Stirtz and the Thunder is the Salt Lake City Summer League, where he can show off and begin adapting to the NBA in real time for a rookie, round-robin-style tournament. Then he’ll start working his way toward training camp, with preseason games starting in early October.
Until then, he’ll learn the new system, get to know his new teammates and enjoy achieving his childhood dream.
“I’m a learner, so I like asking questions a lot, and I think that’s going to help,” he said. “You have great examples to learn from, and the coaching staff. So I’m just excited to do that.”