Kansas basketball: Paul Pierce announces all-time Jayhawks team

Kansas basketball and Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce named his all-time Jayhawks team on the NBA Countdown show.

Paul Pierce was one of the best to ever do it, both at the college and pro level. As a member of the Kansas basketball team, Pierce was a consensus All-American, and he has his No. 34 jersey enshrined in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse.

As a pro, Pierce made 10 all-star appearances, won an NBA title, was awarded Finals MVP, and had his jersey retired by the Boston Celtics over his long NBA career. His accolades speak for themselves,

On a recent installment of NBA Countdown, Pierce named his all-time Kansas basketball team. The squad included Mario Chalmers, Danny Manning, Joel Embiid, Wilt Chamberlain, and himself. Here’s the video:

Pierce said that his lineup was going to be big and old school, and he wasn’t lying. The average height of this lineup stands at about six-foot-nine, with Joel Embiid and Wilt Chamberlain clocking in at over seven feet tall.

Let’s analyze Pierce’s list. Obviously, Manning and Chamberlain deserve to be there, no Kansas basketball all-time list is complete without them. Pierce may be biased, but inserting himself into the all-time lineup is acceptable. He averaged 20.4 points per game in his junior season, earning first-team All-American honors.

Embiid and Chalmers were both interesting picks considering other Kansas greats like Frank Mason, Kirk Hinrich, Perry Ellis, Marcus Morris, or even Udoka Azubuike. At the end of the day, this is Pierce’s list and if that his all-time Kansas team, so be it. He certainly knows more about the game of basketball than most of us.