Ranking the 25 best Kansas basketball NBA careers of all-time

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 04: Paul Pierce and Drew Gooden attend the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship at Caesars Superdome on April 04, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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Drew Gooden #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

. PF. Jayhawks . Drew Gooden. 12. player. 462

Career statistics: 790 games, 11.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 46.2% FG

Memphis Grizzlies, 2002-2003
Orlando Magic, 2003-2004
Cleveland Cavaliers, 2004-2008
Chicago Bulls, 2008-2009
Sacramento Kings, 2009
San Antonio Spurs, 2009
Dallas Mavericks, 2009-2010
Los Angeles Clippers, 2010
Milwaukee Bucks, 2010-2013
Washington Wizards, 2013-2016

Gooden was the definition of a journeyman. He played for ten teams across his 14-year NBA career, once being traded three times in a single season.

His numbers were about as consistent as they could be. He averaged double-digits in the points column in each season of his first decade of playing but never surpassed 14 points per game. Although it’s not much of an outlier, Gooden’s best season came in 2004-05 with the Cleveland Cavaliers with an average of 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds.

Even if he did not live up to being a top-five draft selection, Gooden was a dependable big man and a respected veteran toward the end of his career. He might have been appreciated more in today’s game, as his athleticism for a 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward was off the charts.

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