Purdue Makes Big Ten History as Braden Smith Named Player of the Year

Big Ten history was made on Tuesday afternoon. Purdue guard Braden Smith was named the 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year, marking the third straight season in which a Boilermaker had claimed the award. It's the first time in league history that has ever happened.

Smith was named the winner after averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game for the Boilermakers in his junior season. In the previous two years (2023 and 2024), 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey received the Big Ten Player of the Year honor.

Edey received the award in back-to-back seasons, leading Purdue to a pair of Big Ten regular season championships and one Big Ten Tournament title in that span. As a junior in the 2022-23 season, the big man averaged 22.3 points,12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

The following season, Edey averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. He led Purdue to a 34-5 record and a trip to the National Championship Game.

Both Smith and Edey have left their mark in the program's record books, too. This season, Smith became Purdue's all-time leader in assists, passing a mark set by Bruce Parkinson.

By the end of his senior season at Purdue, Edey was the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. He passed Rick Mount and Joe Barry Carroll to claim the top spot in those respective categories.