With opening night upon us, it’s time to close out the player profile series with the final member of the 2025–26 Kansas men’s basketball squad. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into what makes incoming freshman Paul Mbiya one to watch.
The 7-foot center from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (the same city as Flory Bidunga), is a four-star recruit but was unranked due to being an international prospect. He attended NBA Academy Africa in Senegal and was a 2022 Basketball Without Borders camp all-star before graduating from the Academy in 2023.
He then moved to France for the next two seasons to face tougher competition and further develop his game in preparation for playing in the United States.
In 2023–24, Mbiya played for Espoirs ASVEL in France’s LNB Élite, the country’s top professional league. He averaged 10.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 67.6% from the field in just under 19 minutes. In 2024–25, he once again played for the same team, boosting his averages to 15.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 3.0 blocks per game, while shooting nearly 70% from the field in 32.5 minutes.
Last season, Mbiya also had the opportunity to play for ASVEL in the EuroLeague, the most prestigious basketball league in Europe. In fact, it’s the same team Victor Wembanyama played for during the 2021–22 season.
This May, Mbiya initially committed to play for new head coach Will Wade at NC State but reopened his recruitment in mid-June, ultimately signing with Bill Self and the Jayhawks one week later.
He now arrives at KU ready to fill a backup center role behind fellow Congolese teammate Flory Bidunga. The two share similar backgrounds and could both thrive in the frontcourt this season, though probably not at the same time.
He has an absolutely ludicrous 7-foot-8 wingspan. Mbiya possesses all the tools to be an elite rim protector and can dominate the glass when given the opportunity. He’s a constant lob threat but will need more repetitions throughout the season to build his comfort level.
He looked phenomenal in the second half of KU’s exhibition game against Fort Hays State, finishing with 9 points (3-for-4 FG, 3-for-3 FT) and 9 rebounds in just 12 minutes.
At the time of his commitment, Mbiya was asked in a 247Sports interview why he chose Kansas. He responded: “I signed with Kansas because of the opportunity to play for a top program with the most wins in history but also to play with a fellow Congolese (Bidunga) and make a great impact. I’m really excited about it… One of my mentors and vet’s at ASVEL was Tarik Black and he really encouraged me to commit there, Joel Embiid went there too.”
He has clearly had noble guidance that led him to Lawrence this year. He’s excited to be a part of something bigger than himself, an experience people from his culture can relate to as well.
By Friday night’s matchup against UNC, three freshmen on this Kansas roster (including Mbiya) will already be 20 years old, making it one of the oldest freshman classes in the country. If he sticks around for a few seasons, he could really turn into something special.
Could Paul Mbiya be the next great Kansas big man?
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