Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players Bronson Koenig (24), Nigel Hayes (10) and Duje Dukan (13) react after a foul call against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half in the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Iconic former Wisconsin Badgers player steps away from basketball career

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Cam Wilhorn | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 1:39 PM ET

Wisconsin's legendary basketball teams of the mid-2010s were chock full of talent that carried over from the collegiate level to the professional ranks.

Four members of the Final Four and National Championship Runner-Up teams advanced to the NBA level in some form.

Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker highlight the list, with Nigel Hayes-Davis shortly behind. The fourth player goes overlooked in the bunch: Duje Dukan.

Dukan played a supporting role on both teams before going on to have a successful professional career in the NBA G League and overseas.

But now, at the age of 33, Dukan is retiring from the sport.

What a career!

Former Badger standout @dujedukan has announced his retirement from basketball. Can't wait to see what's next for Duje!#Badgers x #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/LkRl3dYFMm
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) September 26, 2025

A Croatia native, Dukan played his high school basketball in Deerfield, Illinois before committing to the Badgers.

He spent five seasons in Madison, and appeared in 76 of Wisconsin's 78 games across the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

Dukan was a fixture of the Badgers bench, playing over eight minutes per game as a junior before expanding doubling that as a senior and averaging nearly five points per game.

Hip, Hip... DUJE!

Happy birthday to our guy @dujedukan! The man hit some big 3s, but he made sure to remind us of his ups from time to time, too. pic.twitter.com/I5wbGz0p26
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) December 4, 2018

He participated in all 11 of Wisconsin's NCAA Tournament games as an upperclassman, including an eight-point performance in the Final Four loss to Kentucky in 2013-14.

The 6-foot-10 stretch big got a look at the NBA level, signing a two-year contract with the Sacramento Kings. He appeared in just one NBA game before being waived one year into the deal.

After a few years in the NBA's G League, Dukan returned to Europe, playing in Spain, the Netherlands and Austria over the course of five seasons.

He returned to Madison last November when Wisconsin honored of the 2014-15 Final Four Teams. He was one of 14 people to be honored that night, a group that including Kaminsky, Josh Gasser and Bo Ryan.