{"id":695403,"date":"2026-04-03T05:46:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T05:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695403\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T05:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T05:46:18","slug":"kansas-star-flory-bidunga-declares-for-nba-draft-enters-transfer-portal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695403\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas Star Flory Bidunga Declares for NBA Draft, Enters Transfer Portal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"ABidunga’s decision to explore the NBA Draft while also entering the transfer portal reflects the evolving landscape of college basketball, where top players have more options than ever to pursue their professional aspirations.Lawrence Today<\/p>\n

Kansas Jayhawks star sophomore forward Flory Bidunga has announced plans to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft while also entering the NCAA transfer portal. Bidunga, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, will work to get evaluated by NBA teams over the next few weeks to determine his draft prospects, and if he does not like the feedback, he could return to college at a different program.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Bidunga’s decision is a significant development for the Kansas basketball program, as he was one of their top players this past season. His potential departure, either to the NBA or another college team, will leave a major hole in the Jayhawks’ lineup and force the team to find a replacement for his production and defensive presence.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Bidunga had a breakout sophomore campaign, averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. He was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and earned spots on the All-Big 12 team and the conference’s All-Defensive team. In Kansas’ NCAA Tournament loss to St. John’s, Bidunga recorded 12 points and 5 rebounds.<\/p>\n

Bidunga announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft and transfer portal on April 3, 2026.The 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for June.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Flory Bidunga<\/p>\n

A 6-foot-10, 220-pound sophomore forward who was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a key contributor for the Kansas Jayhawks this past season.<\/p>\n

Kansas Jayhawks<\/p>\n

The Division I men’s basketball team that competes in the Big 12 Conference and is one of the most successful programs in college basketball history.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

Bidunga will go through the NBA Draft evaluation process over the next several weeks to determine his professional prospects. If he is not satisfied with his draft projection, he could choose to return to college basketball, but at a different program after entering the transfer portal.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Bidunga’s decision to enter the NBA Draft while also exploring a transfer highlights the increasing fluidity of the modern college basketball landscape, where top players have more options than ever to pursue their professional aspirations. Kansas will now have to prepare for the potential loss of one of their best players, creating uncertainty around the team’s outlook for next season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a Bidunga’s decision to explore the NBA Draft while also entering…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,6,12],"class_list":{"0":"post-695403","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-draft","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-nba-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116339199348188212","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}