Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Griffin Quinn / Northwestern Athletics
Nick Martinelli Earns NBA Draft Combine Invitation
5/1/2026 12:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK — Northwestern senior forward Nick Martinelli secured an invite to the 2026 NBA Draft Combine, the league announced on Friday morning.
Martinelli is one of 73 players on the initial list of invitees. The AWS NBA Draft Combine 2026 will take place from May 10-17 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.
In 2025-26, Martinelli led the Big Ten in scoring for the second year in a row, averaging 23 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He registered a 51% field goal percentage, 41.7% 3-point percentage and an 80.9% free throw percentage.
The senior's scoring average was the highest by a Wildcat since Dale Kelley posted a school-record 24.3 points per game in 1969-70.
He shattered Northwestern's single-season scoring record, set by himself last season, with 759 points in 33 games played in 2025-26. Martinelli is the only player in Big Ten history to score at least 20 points against all 18 of the conference's member schools, achieving that mark with a 28-point display against Purdue on March 4.
Martinelli finished his collegiate career with 46 games of 20-plus-points, the most by a Wildcat since at least 2004. His 1,786 career points rank sixth in program history.
The Glenview, Ill., native is one of just three players in Northwestern history to play in four NCAA Tournament games. Martinelli, Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer share this exclusive status.
He will look to become the second Wildcat selected in the NBA Draft in the past two years, with the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting Barnhizer with the No. 44 overall pick in 2025.
Martinelli is one of 73 players on the initial list of invitees. The AWS NBA Draft Combine 2026 will take place from May 10-17 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.
In 2025-26, Martinelli led the Big Ten in scoring for the second year in a row, averaging 23 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He registered a 51% field goal percentage, 41.7% 3-point percentage and an 80.9% free throw percentage.
The senior's scoring average was the highest by a Wildcat since Dale Kelley posted a school-record 24.3 points per game in 1969-70.
He shattered Northwestern's single-season scoring record, set by himself last season, with 759 points in 33 games played in 2025-26. Martinelli is the only player in Big Ten history to score at least 20 points against all 18 of the conference's member schools, achieving that mark with a 28-point display against Purdue on March 4.
Martinelli finished his collegiate career with 46 games of 20-plus-points, the most by a Wildcat since at least 2004. His 1,786 career points rank sixth in program history.
The Glenview, Ill., native is one of just three players in Northwestern history to play in four NCAA Tournament games. Martinelli, Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer share this exclusive status.
He will look to become the second Wildcat selected in the NBA Draft in the past two years, with the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting Barnhizer with the No. 44 overall pick in 2025.
Players Mentioned
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