Nick Martinelli added the Big Ten's most prestigious individual honor to a résumé already stacked with records and an NBA Draft selection.

Northwestern's official basketball account announced Thursday, June 25, that Martinelli earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor, given annually to one male and one female graduating student-athlete from each member school for excellence on and off the field. Head coach Chris Collins amplified the news on X. Only 36 athletes across the conference's 11,000-plus student-athletes receive the award each year.

The honor caps a senior season in which the 6-foot-7 Glenview native averaged 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 51% from the floor and 41.7% from three. He set Northwestern's single-season scoring record with 759 points, became the first player in Big Ten history to score 20-plus against all 17 conference opponents in one season, and led the league in scoring for the second straight year.

Off the court, Martinelli, a communications studies major who spent four years in Evanston, earned back-to-back First-Team Academic All-America honors in 2025 and 2026. He is only the second Wildcat to accomplish that feat, joining Shon Morris (1987, 1988).

Martinelli was selected 55th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, June 24, after the pick was acquired from the Houston Rockets for cash considerations. He finished his Northwestern career with 1,787 points (sixth in program history), 46 games of 20-plus points, and a role on the only Wildcat teams to earn back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids.

His name will join more than 1,680 past recipients on permanent display at the Big Ten Office in Rosemont. Next up: Clippers summer league.