Former Washington Huskies Forward Assigned to G-League by Charlotte Hornets

The Washington Huskies men's basketball team had nine newcomers added to the team this offseason to supplement the departures from last year. Those newcomers were able to help lead UW to a win in its season-opener, a 90-76 result against the Colgate Red Raiders on Nov. 2.

One of the departures for the team from last year was forward Hannes Steinbach.

Steinbach, who was recruited as an international player out of Wurzburg, Germany, made a solid first impression on Washington in his lone season in the Pacific Northwest.

The German national averaged 18.5 points on 57.7% shooting from the floor (34% from 3-point range) across 30 games (all starts). He also brought in 11.8 rebounds, dished 1.6 assists, blocked 1.2 shots and swiped 1.1 steals per contest.

Steinbach earned third-team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts, led the nation in rebounding and co-led the nation in double-doubles (22) with former Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer, who was selected third overall in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Steinbach was also able to parlay his success into being drafted. He was selected with the final lottery pick (14th overall) by the Charlotte Hornets in the '26 draft.

Despite being selected with a lottery pick, and putting up decent numbers in the Summer League and preseason, Steinbach hasn't been able to break through into the Hornets' regular rotation this season.

Following the Hornets' NBA Cup, 119-80 loss against the Boston Celtics on Friday, Charlotte is 3-7 through 10 games this year and is 11th in the Eastern Conference, just outside the play-in.

Steinbach has only played in three of the Hornets' 10 games this season. He's averaging 2.7 points on a 50% shooting clip from the field. He's pulled in 2.3 rebounds, dished 0.3 assists and hasn't attempted a 3-pointer.

Charlotte opted to move Steinbach off the active NBA roster and assigned him to the team's G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, on Thursday.

Steinbach's rookie season hasn't gone the way many who saw him play at UW would think it would, but with the Swarm, he'll have an opportunity to earn consistent minutes when it comes time for him to get significant minutes with the Hornets.

The NBA can recall players from the G-League at any point, meaning that Steinbach can be back with Charlotte sooner rather than later.

Steinbach will first take the court with Greensboro in their road games against the Raptors 905 at 4:30 p.m. PT at the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.