Israeli-American basketball player Danny Wolf is widely projected as a late first-round to early second-round selection in the 2025 NBA draft. Most mock drafts place the Michigan center somewhere between picks 17 and 33, with ESPN’s latest projection ranking him 17th overall.
Wolf is the youngest of three boys, born to Joe and Tina on May 5, 2004. The 21-year-old’s older brothers both played college basketball and significantly influenced his development as a player. Wolf transferred from Yale to Michigan after his sophomore season, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten Tournament championship and Sweet 16 appearance in his junior year.
The 2 Older Brothers of Danny Wolf
Growing up in a family steeped in athletics certainly helped Wolf develop his skills. The 6-foot-10.5 center’s father played basketball while his mother was proficient in tennis. Genetics favored him as he inherited the best traits from his father, who stands 6-foot-8, and his mother, who is 5-foot-10.
Wolf’s older brothers, Josh and Jake, are both around 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-11, respectively. Both brothers played college basketball but couldn’t reach the professional heights their younger brother is now approaching.
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Josh, the oldest of the Wolf siblings, played basketball for Lehigh University from 2016 to 2018. At 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds during his college career, Josh appeared in limited action over two seasons with the Mountain Hawks. He played in 11 total games over his freshman and sophomore years, logging approximately 21 minutes of playing time.
Before college, Josh was a three-year varsity player at Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts, though he was born in Glencoe, Illinois, like his younger brothers. He helped win a NEPSAC Championship while averaging 10 points and seven rebounds per game. Josh excelled academically as well, earning Honor Roll recognition in his senior year. At Lehigh, he majored in finance, choosing the university for its combination of academic excellence and athletic opportunities.
Basketball remained Josh’s primary passion, with his dream being to play in the NBA. If not basketball, his second favorite sport was baseball. However, his favorite athlete outside of basketball was NFL legend Peyton Manning. The Chicago Bulls were his favorite NBA team, and Shaquille O’Neal was his preferred sports broadcaster.
Josh enjoyed working out at the gym, and his favorite color was orange. The oldest Wolf sibling’s preferred food was pizza. His favorite musical artist was Luke Bryan, while “Dodgeball” and “Prison Break” were his favorite movie and TV series, respectively.
Jake, the middle Wolf sibling, had a more successful college basketball career than his older brother. He played four seasons at Lake Forest Academy, serving as team captain and maintaining honor roll status like Josh. During his junior year at the prep level, Jake averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game.
Jake attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he double-majored in finance and organizational and strategic management. Jake played college basketball from 2021 to 2023, appearing in all 27 games as a freshman and starting 22 of them in his sophomore season. He averaged 4.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during his final college season while primarily serving as the team’s leading rebounder.
Danny Wolf’s success at Michigan, where he averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors, has elevated him above his brothers’ college achievements. His unique combination of size, ball-handling skills, and court vision has made him one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2025 NBA draft class.
The Wolf family’s basketball legacy continues with Danny representing Israel internationally, having won a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship. His journey from Yale to Michigan and now to the NBA draft demonstrates the influence of his basketball-playing brothers and athletic family background.
