10 Kansas basketball players the Jayhawks rivals loved to hate the most
Kansas basketball has one of the most illustrious histories of any college program, but its greatness does not come with the package deal of being liked. The reality is that if you are not a Jayhawk fan, you probably hate KU with your guts.
There are several reasons an individual might not enjoy the art that is Kansas basketball. The investigation with the FBI, the cockiness of some of its players, or flat-out jealousy of them being a blue-blood program. As former Jayhawk and Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain once said: “Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.”
Although many schools loathe the Jayhawks and root for them to fail, two particularly stand out — Mizzou and Kansas State. No chant or heckle can ever match what goes down in the Border War or Sunflower Showdown.
As time has passed, fans of the Tigers and Wildcats have despised specific Jayhawk players. Even if they hate all five guys on the court, some are more irritating to watch than others.
Even if KU does not have the pedigree of hated players that Duke or UNC has, many have been disliked across the country — and some fans even enjoyed abhorring these players.
These are the top ten Kansas basketball players that rival schools loved to hate the most.
10. Tyshawn Taylor (2008-2012)
First on the list is one of the Jayhawks’ best point guards under Bill Self. Taylor is an extremely polarizing player, even among Kansas fans. He often made it hard for anyone not to hate him, especially when he was the centerpiece of a fight that broke out between KU’s football and basketball teams.
In addition to Taylor breaking his finger in the process, he also dissed the entire football team on his Facebook page afterward. Not the classiest move someone could perform, to say the least.
He fought with fellow athletes from the same school as him. How could opposing fans not crack jokes? To others, it was a hilarious scenario to see a dysfunctional connection between schoolmates of two separate sports teams.
Taylor was a hothead that fed off the hate, so he probably did not mind being taunted by rival fans. Mizzou fans hated him even more after his terrific performance in the final Border War game between the two schools in the Big 12.