Last Updated on April 17, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Payton A. Sandfort is an American college basketball player, currently serving as a small forward and shooting guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference.

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Payton A. Sandfort
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: July 12, 2002
  • Hometown: Waukee, Iowa, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 7 inches (200 cm)
  • Weight: 215 pounds (98 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 8 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 16 (US)
  • Position: Small Forward / Shooting Guard
  • Jersey Number: 20
  • High School: Waukee High School, Waukee, Iowa
  • College: University of Iowa (2021–present)
  • NBA Draft: As of January 2025, Sandfort has not declared for the NBA Draft and continues to play at the collegiate level.
  • Teams Played For: Iowa Hawkeyes (2021–present)
  • Championship Rings: None as of January 2025
  • Parents: His mother played basketball at Simpson College, and his father played basketball at Hastings College.
  • Children: None
  • Siblings: Younger brother, Pryce Sandfort, also plays basketball at Iowa.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Payton Sandfort’s player archetype is that of a shooting wing and offensive floor-spacer whose game is built around skill, feel, and shot versatility. At roughly 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, he has solid size for a forward, though his physical profile leans more toward functional strength and coordination than standout burst or top-end athleticism. Offensively, his role is to stretch the floor, hit movement threes, punish closeouts, and add a bit of secondary passing and scoring craft, while defensively he projects more as a team defender who competes, rotates, and uses positioning rather than a wing stopper who changes possessions with speed or explosiveness. Overall, Sandfort plays like a modern complementary scorer: a confident perimeter threat with touch, basketball IQ, and enough all-around polish to fit beside higher-usage creators. (NBA)

Sources:

NBA.com — Latest 2-round mock draft after NCAA Tournament
NBA.com — No. 1 pick still wide open in updated two-round mock draft
NBADraft.net — 2024 NBA Draft Combine: Tale of the Tape