Kansas center Flory Bidunga plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Joe Tipton confirms. Doing so allows him to keep options available moving forward because Bidunga is also entering the 2026 NBA Draft.
Bidunga entered the transfer portal around this time last offseason as well. But a deal was agreed to get him back to Lawrence. You have to imagine Kansas is hoping a similar course of action plays out in the coming weeks. Especially since head coach Bill Self will remain with the program.
The decision to play for KU this past season turned out to be a good one. Bidunga was an integral part of what the Jayhawks did, mainly on the defensive end. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in blocks and finishing fourth nationally with 91. Not to say Bidunga did not contribute on the offensive end, putting up 13.3 points per game.
“I’m certainly fired up that Flory received what I thought should be his,” Self said of Budinga winning the award. “Because to me, he’s the most versatile and best defender in our league. And there’s some other good ones too… The biggest steps I would say [Flory has made are] staying disciplined and understanding to play to his length rather than play to gamble. I think he’s done a much better job with that.”
Just ahead of the NCAA Tournament, ESPN released its latest mock draft. Bidunga did find himself included, falling into the second round. The Sacramento Kings took the Kansas big man with the No. 44 overall pick. Based on that, Bidunga would need to impress during the NBA Draft process in order to sneak into the first 30 picks.
This will turn into one of the bigger decisions to watch in college basketball. Bidunga seemingly has three options based on Thursday’s news — leaving for the NBA, going to another school, or playing for Kansas for a third year.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.