What NBA Players Went to Kansas?

Many talented NBA players have emerged from the University of Kansas over the years. Here’s a look at some of the most successful players who made their way to the NBA after playing for the Jayhawks.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain is one of the most famous NBA players of all time. He played for the Kansas Jayhawks from 1956 to 1958. Chamberlain is the only player in NCAA history to average more than 50 points per game in a season. He is also the only player to score 100 points in an NBA game.

Early Life

Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Olivia Ruth Johnson, a domestic worker, and William Chamberlain, a welder. Chamberlain was raised in Philadelphia’s Overbrook neighborhood. He played basketball informally as a child and entered the Integrated Language Arts program at Overbrook High School in 1952.

College Career

Wilt Chamberlain played center for the Kansas Jayhawks from 1956 to 1958. During his college career, Chamberlain was a two-time NCAA All-American and led Kansas to a national championship in 1957. He also set several NCAA records, including most points in a game (52) and most rebounds in a game (39). After finishing his college career, Chamberlain was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors with the first overall pick in the 1959 NBA Draft.

NBA Career

Wilt Chamberlain was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors as the first overall pick in the 1959 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best players in the league, winning Rookie of the Year and leading the Warriors to the NBA Finals in his first season. In 1962, he became the first player in NBA history to average more than 50 points per game for a season, a feat he would repeat four times. He also set numerous other scoring records, including the most points in a single game (100) and most points in a single season (4,029).

In 1967, Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he team up with fellow superstar Julius Erving. The duo led the 76ers to three straight NBA Finals appearances, winning one championship in 1976. Chamberlain retired after the 1972-73 season as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.

Danny Manning

Danny Manning, who was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the current head coach of the Wake Forest men’s basketball team. Manning attended the University of Kansas, where he played for the Jayhawks under coach Larry Brown from 1984 to 1988.

Early Life

Danny Earl Manning (born May 17, 1966) is an American college basketball coach and retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player. He is the men’s head coach at Wake Forest. Manning played high school basketball at Page High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, and college basketball at the University of Kansas, where he was the National Player of the Year in 1988. In college, he was a two-time All-American and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1988 NCAA Final Four after leading the Jayhawks to their first NCAA Championship in twenty-six years. He then starred good hollywood movies for children in the NBA for fourteen seasons. After his playing career ended, he served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Kansas, for fifteen seasons from 2003 to 2018.

Manning was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. His mother, Julie Haynes Manning, is white, and his father, Ed Manning, is black. Danny has two brothers: David and Malcolm Manning. David played professional basketball overseas for many years before attending and playing college basketball at Kansas from 1985 to 1988. Malcolm played college football at Oklahoma State University from 1989 to 1992. The boys were raised mainly by their mother because their father had a career traveling with musical groups such as The Temptations and The Four Tops. When their father’s work brought him back to Greensboro, he enrolled his sons at Clarence Gaines’ Page High School so they could play basketball there.

College Career

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Manning grew up in a family of athletes. His father, Ed Manning, played basketball at both the University of Kansas and in the NBA. His sister, Carmen Manning-Johnston, played volleyball at Ole Miss. While attending Hillcrest Middle School in Dallas, Danny was a key player on the school’s eighth grade team that went undefeated and won the state championship.

As a freshman at Plano Senior High School in 1982–83, he averaged 14 points per game and led his team to the state quarterfinals where they narrowly lost to eventual state champion Dallas Lincoln by two points. The following year he helped lead his team to a 32–1 record and the 1983 Class 5A state title as he averaged 18 points per game. He was subsequently named to the All-State team for his junior and senior seasons. During his senior year in 1984–85 desite averaging 26 points and 12 rebounds per game while shooting over 60 percent from the field, Manning was not named Mr. Basketball for Texas; that honor went to B. J. Armstrong of Willowridge High School in Sugar Land, Texas

NBA Career

Danny Manning (born February 17, 1966) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He is the current men’s head coach at Wake Forest. Manning played college basketball at the University of Kansas, where he was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1988 NCAA Tournament after leading the Jayhawks to the national championship. He then starred in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for fourteen seasons. After his playing career ended, he worked as an assistant coach for several teams, including a brief stint as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce, small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, went to the University of Kansas. He is from Inglewood, California and was drafted by the Celtics in 1998. He is a ten-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA Championship with the Celtics in 2008.

Early Life

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a ten-time NBA All-Star, a four-time All-NBA team member, and was voted NBA Rookie of the Year during his first season with the Boston Celtics.

Pierce played high school basketball at Inglewood High School, where he was a runner-up for 1997 Mr. Basketball of California. He earned first-team All-America honors after his senior year and was selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. As a small forward, he started all 82 games for Boston during his rookie campaign and averaged 16.5 points per game, earning him unanimous selection to the NBA All-Rookie Team and eventually the Rookie of the Year Award. Pierce spent his first 15 years with Boston, helping lead them to NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2008 while amassing ten All-Star selections between 2002 and 2009; he is currently fourth on the Celtics’ all-time scores list behind only John Havlicek, Paul Silas, and Robert Parish (and just ahead ofLarry Bird).

College Career

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a former professional coach and general manager of the Basketball League Azerbaijan club BC Astana.

Pierce played small forward and shooting guard for most of his NBA career, but he occasionally played as a power forward and center. He was a high-scoring player for the Boston Celtics, being one of the team’s primary offensive weapons during his tenure with the club. He was named to 10 NBA All-Star teams, four All-NBA teams, and three NBA All-Defensive teams. He served as team captain of the Celtics from 2003 to 2012, leading them to nine consecutive playoff appearances during that time frame. Multiple times he has led the Celtics or been among their leading scorers during playoff matchups with rival teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons; he holds numerous postseason scoring records with these teams.

In July 2013, Pierce was included in a deal that sent him to the Brooklyn Nets along with teammates Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry. During his second season with Brooklyn he sixth man role before eventually being traded back to his original team, Washington. After one season with Washington he retired from playing professional basketball in 2017.

NBA Career

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a high-profile player for the Boston Celtics from 1998 to 2013, with whom he won an NBA championship in 2008. He was named the 2008 NBA Finals MVP in his first and only appearance in the NBA Finals. Pierce also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. He was a ten-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA team selection, and his number 34 was retired by the Celtics in February 2017.