Ranking the 25 best Kansas basketball NBA careers of all-time
Jayhawks . Wayne Hightower. 19. player. 462. . PF
Career statistics: 565 games, 11.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 38.1% FG
San Francisco Warriors, 1962-1965
Baltimore Bullets, 1965-1967
Detroit Pistons, 1967
Denver Rockets (ABA), 1967-1969
Los Angeles/Utah Stars (ABA), 1969-1971
Texas Chaparrals (ABA), 1971
Carolina Cougars (ABA), 1971-1972
Wayne Hightower did most of his damage in the ABA, but it would be hard to keep such a solid player off of this list. He was a solid big man throughout his decade-long career. At Kansas, he was an All-American and spent a year with the Real Madrid basketball team before heading to the NBA.
The Philadelphia native was not too efficient, shooting over 40 percent from the field in just two seasons during his career. However, he was a stat sheet stuffer and a double-double threat on a nightly basis.
He made his first and only ABA All-Star team in 1969 with the Denver Rockets. A year later, he had his best season yet, averaging 18.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Hightower could have had a much more successful NBA career if he did not reach his prime at such a late age, as he wasn’t a consistent starter until he turned 29.