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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Greg Ostertag #00 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Al Bello/ALLSPORT) /

. C. Jayhawks . Greg Ostertag. 22. player. 462

Career statistics: 756 games, 4.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.6 APG, 48.6% FG

Utah Jazz, 1995-2004
Sacramento Kings, 2004-2005
Utah Jazz, 2005-2006

“The Big O” (not to be confused with Oscar Robinson) played on the late 90s Utah Jazz teams with John Stockton and Karl Malone. He was devoid of an offensive game but made up for it with his elite shot-blocking ability.

He averaged 1.1 or more blocks per game for 10 of his 11 seasons in the NBA. His career-high average was 2.7 blocks, which also happened to come in his best statistical season. In 1998-99, Ostertag put up 5.7 points and 7.3 rebounds, starting every game he appeared in (albeit in the NBA lockout year).

Ostertag played in Utah for all but one year. At 7-foot-2, 280 pounds, he was an absolute unit and one of the biggest guys in the league. It’s impressive that he stayed in the NBA as long as he did — he was extremely uncoordinated and terrible offensively.

A cool story to read up on: Ostertag donated his kidney to save his sister’s life in 2002.

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