Nick Martinelli, Northwestern's two-time Big Ten scoring champion, is headed to the NBA after the Los Angeles Clippers acquired his rights with the 55th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 24.

Martinelli is only the second Wildcat drafted this century. Brooks Barnhizer went 44th to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025, ending a 25-year drought. Now Northwestern has produced back-to-back draft picks for the first time in program history.

The 6-foot-7 forward from Glenview, Illinois, spent four seasons in Evanston, finishing with 1,787 career points, sixth-most in program history. Across 33 starts as a senior, he averaged 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, shooting 51% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range.

That three-point number tells a story. Martinelli declared for the 2025 draft but withdrew after NBA executives told him to improve his outside shooting. He shot 33.3% from deep as a junior. He came back and raised it to 41.7%.

His senior season shattered records. Martinelli's 759 points broke his own Northwestern single-season mark and rank 15th in Big Ten history for a single campaign. He became the first player in conference history to score 20-plus points against all 17 Big Ten opponents in one season.

The draft-night transaction involved multiple teams. The New York Knicks formally selected Martinelli at No. 55, then traded his rights to the Houston Rockets, who flipped them to the Clippers for cash considerations, according to CBS Sports.

The LA Times called Martinelli a "knockdown shooter" addition for the Clippers, noting the team used a trade to land him late in the second round.

Northwestern Athletics honored Martinelli with the Big Ten Medal of Honor on June 14, recognizing him as the school's top graduating student-athlete. He earned two First-Team Academic All-American selections during his career.

Clippers summer league and training camp details have not been announced. Martinelli's NBA.com draft profile projects him as a pick-and-pop scorer and physical wing who can provide offense from the midrange, the post, and the free-throw line.