Mbiya returning to KU for sophomore season

Men’s Basketball

AP Photo/Chris Seward

Kansas center Paul Mbiya (34) talks with head coach Bill Self during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Paul Mbiya is returning to Kansas for his sophomore season.

The 7-footer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo broke the news on Tuesday night by posting a video on social media of his highlights from the 2025-26 season with the caption “Rock Chalk.”

His manager Yacine Fylla also sent the Journal-World a lengthy written statement from Mbiya that reads in part, “This decision comes from the heart. Through every challenge, every doubt, and every moment of adversity, I’ve grown stronger … I know who I am. And I know what I came here to do. You can’t buy heart. You can’t buy loyalty. You can’t buy what’s inside me … Jayhawks one day, Rock Chalk forever.”

Mbiya’s decision came mere hours before the closure of the window to enter the transfer portal and brought to an end an unusual two-week period in which he was in a sort of limbo. After reports shortly before the portal opened suggested that he planned to transfer, by all accounts he never actually entered the portal.

In the meantime he was negotiating a deal with KU to return. Fylla said last week that Mbiya wanted to stay at KU and was “100%” focused on the Jayhawks but that he was trying to “help him understand it’s also a business.”

Fylla also spoke with the Journal-World on Tuesday evening and expressed frustration that, he said, KU was trying to pay Mbiya below his market value. In any case, the two sides clearly found their way to an understanding by later on Tuesday night.

As a result, KU maintains one member of its frontcourt from the 2025-26 season, albeit one who did not play all that much. Mbiya spent much of the season as a reserve behind Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller and averaged 1.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in his 21 appearances. But after head coach Bill Self tabbed him as one of the roster’s most improved players, he put himself on the map with strong performances in spot duty in the NCAA Tournament against Cal Baptist (eight points, three rebounds) and St. John’s (four points, six rebounds).

With Bidunga and Tiller having transferred elsewhere, Mbiya now has an opportunity for increased playing time at the center spot. Just how much greater his role proves to be depends on who else KU chooses to bring in from the portal. The Jayhawks have already reportedly received visits from Anton Bonke (Charlotte) and Christian Reeves (Charleston) and have Gabe Dynes (USC) scheduled for Sunday.

Written By Henry Greenstein

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.

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