Payton Sandfort
American basketball player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Payton A. Sandfort (born July 12, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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Sandfort with Iowa in 2022 | |
| No. 14 – Oklahoma City Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 12, 2002 Waukee, Iowa, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Waukee (Waukee, Iowa) |
| College | Iowa (2021–2025) |
| NBA draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2025–present |
| Career history | |
| 2025–2026 | Oklahoma City Blue |
| 2026–present | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2026–present | →Oklahoma City Blue |
| Career highlights | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Sandfort grew up in Waukee, Iowa and attended Waukee High School, where he played basketball and golf. He averaged 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and four assists as a junior.[1] Sandfort was named the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association 4A Player of the Year after averaging 16.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists during his senior season.[2] He also helped Waukee to a state championship in golf as a senior.[3] Sandfort was rated a three-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Iowa over offers from Stanford, Utah, Minnesota, Drake, Air Force, and Loyola Chicago.[4][5]
College career
Sandfort served as a role player off of the bench for the Iowa Hawkeyes as a freshman.[6] He played in 34 games and finished the season averaging five points and 1.9 rebounds per game.[7][8] Sandfort grew one inch between his freshman and sophomore years.[9] He entered his sophomore season as the Hawkeyes' starting shooting guard.[10] Sandfort was moved to the bench due to poor shooting. At the end of the regular season, he was named the Big Ten Conference Sixth Man of the Year.[11]
Sandfort averaged averaged 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a junior, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field. He was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten. He declared for the 2024 NBA draft before opting to return to Iowa.[12] As a senior, Sandfort averaged 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.[13] He finished his Iowa career with 1,619 points, 622 rebounds and 256 assists.[14]
Professional career
After not being selected in the 2025 NBA draft, Sandfort signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.[14] He was waived on October 13, 2025, in order to join their G League affiliate the Oklahoma City Blue.[15] On March 2, 2026, Sandfort signed a two-way contract with the Thunder.[16] On April 12, Sandfort recorded a career-high 23 points with five three-pointers during a 103–135 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[17]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Personal life
Sandfort's younger brother, Pryce, plays basketball at Nebraska.[18] His mother Gretchen played basketball at Simpson College. His father Brian played basketball at Hastings College.