PURDUE’S SMITH REPEATS AS BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Purdue senior guard Braden Smith has been named the 2025-26 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, as chosen by a select media panel, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
This is the second consecutive year that Smith has been named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year and the third straight year the honor has gone to a Boilermaker, as Zach Edey received the accolade prior to the 2023-24 campaign.
Smith, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American, averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a season ago before being named the recipient of the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to setting a Big Ten record with 175 assists in conference play, Smith became the only player in NCAA history to amass at least 550 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds, and 75 steals in a season.
The media panel also selected a 10-member Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Eight of the Big Ten’s 18 teams are represented on the team, with Smith the lone unanimous selection.
The Purdue guard is joined by teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendenborg, Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli, Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Oregon duo Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad, UCLA’s Donovan Dent, and Wisconsin’s John Blackwell.
Seven members of the 2025-26 Preseason All-Big Ten Team garnered All-Big Ten honors last season. The league’s coaches named Smith and Kaufman-Renn to the First Team, while Martinelli and Thornton earned spots on the Second Team. Bittle and Shelstad were named to the Third Team, while Blackwell received Honorable Mention.
The 2025-26 preseason All-Big Ten team can be found below.
2025-26 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Bennett Stirtz, Sr., G, Iowa
Yaxel Lendeborg, Grad., F, Michigan
Nick Martinelli, Sr., F, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Sr., G, Ohio State
Nate Bittle, Sr., C, Oregon
Jackson Shelstad, Jr., G, Oregon
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Sr., F, Purdue
BRADEN SMITH, Sr., G, Purdue
Donovan Dent, Sr., G, UCLA
John Blackwell, Jr., G, Wisconsin
2025-26 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Braden Smith, Purdue
Unanimous selection listed in ALL CAPS
