Last year was the first NBA season in quite a while that a former Kansas Jayhawk was absent from the NBA team that went on to win the championship when the Oklahoma City Thunder won in 2025. Luckily, this year the trend of having a Jayhawk is back in fashion as Kevin McCullar Jr. and the New York Knicks have won the 2026 NBA Finals.
The Knicks toppled Victor Wembanyama and the young San Antonio Spurs team 4-1, despite being underdogs entering the series. Jalen Brunson and his slew of former Villanova Wildcats, along with former Kentucky Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns and former Indiana Hoosier OG Anunoby all played key roles in winning the title. Kevin McCullar Jr. also gets his ring though, deservedly so.
McCullar Jr. has been on a two-way contract with the Knicks for multiple seasons now, after being drafted 56th overall in the 2024 NBA draft. The now 25-year-old was not eligible to play in the playoffs for New York (due to being on a two-way contract), but he certainly had a role for the team this season and was undoubtedly a great locker room guy for the Knicks too.
After a great summer league performance, the former Jayhawk appeared in 21 games for the Knicks in the regular season, averaging 2.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, and 1.0 APG. Notable games included December 27th, when he recorded 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals against the Hawks and April 12th, when he had 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals against the Hornets.
Kevin McCullar Jr. adds to list of NBA champion Jayhawks this decade
Last season was an anomaly where no Jayhawks were on the championship team in the NBA, but in 2024, Svi Mykhailiuk won the title with the Boston Celtics and was even on the floor as the confetti fell to the ground and the buzzer sounded. Fitting for a guy who bled Crimson and Blue in college but didn’t get to experience an NCAA championship in Lawrence.
The year prior, it was Christian Braun who won the 2023 NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets, coming off the 2022 Kansas Jayhawks championship team and winning back-to-back titles. Not only this, but he was the 7th-8th most important player on the Nuggets title team and had a significant role.
Flashback one more year, and the world saw Andrew Wiggins unexpectedly morph into the 2nd best player on a Golden State Warriors team that beat the Boston Celtics 4-2. Steph Curry ultimately won Finals MVP, but Wiggins' defense, rebounding, and scoring were crucial in securing the Larry O’Brien trophy. He averaged 18.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.5 BPG.
McCullar’s impact is not nearly as substantial as these other Jayhawks, but continuing the trend of championship teams having a former KU player on them is important in of itself for the Kansas brand, legacy, and impact. It’s also just a great sight to see McCullar Jr. get rewarded for all of his hard work over the last few years. Rock Chalk!
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