Former MVP Joel Embiid one of 11 KU Jayhawks on NBA rosters as 2024-25 season begins

Seven-time All-Star and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and Markieff Morris, a member of the 2024 NBA runner-up Dallas Mavericks, head the list of 11 former Kansas Jayhawks on NBA rosters to begin the 2024-25 season.

The 35-year-old Morris, who has played for eight teams since being selected No. 14 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, is the longest-tenured active Jayhawk in the NBA. He enters his 14th season overall and second with the Mavs.

Embiid, 30, begins his 11th season with the Philadelphia 76ers. A 2024 Olympic gold medalist, Embiid during the 2022 season won the league’s scoring title, becoming the first center to do so since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.

Embiid is joined on the Sixers’ roster by former KU wing Kelly Oubre who is beginning his 10th season in the NBA and second with the 76ers. Oubre, 28, has played in 595 career games while in the NBA for five teams.

Two Jayhawks — Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji — are teammates on the Toronto Raptors.

Agbaji, 24, was picked 14th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft and played his first two seasons with the Utah Jazz. He was a starter on Kansas’ 2022 NCAA title team and a consensus first-team All-America selection after leading the Big 12 in scoring with 18.8 ppg.

Dick, who turns 21 on Nov. 20, is in his second season with the Raptors. The Wichita native was drafted 13th overall by the Raptors in the 2023 NBA Draft after averaging 14.1 points a game at KU his freshman season.

Christian Braun, 23, who won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, begins his third year in the league, all with the Nuggets. Braun, who became the fifth player in history to win both an NCAA Championship and NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons, was the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Svi Mykhailiuk, who has played for eight teams in his seven-years in the league, is a first-year member of the Utah Jazz. The 27-year-old wing was part of the Boston Celtics’ NBA title team in 2023-24.

Andrew Wiggins is set to begin his sixth season with Golden State, a team he helped to a title in 2022. The 29-year-old Wiggins has played for Minnesota and Golden State in his 11 years in the league. Wiggins, a one-and-done college player in 2013-14, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Jalen Wilson, a starter on KU’s 2022 NCAA title team, begins his second season with the Brooklyn Nets. Wilson was drafted 51st overall by the Brooklyn Nets in 2023. This past summer Wilson was named MVP of the NBA 2K25 Summer League.

KU’s two first-year NBA players are Johnny Furphy (Indiana) and Kevin McCullar (New York). Both have been slowed by injuries and are expected to spend a lot of time in the G League in 2024-25. Furphy, who did not enter a game in the preseason because of a pair of ankle sprains, is available to begin the season, according to Tony East of SI.com.

With several NBA players already out of action because of injuries, it’s still possible veteran forward Marcus Morris could be picked up by a team. He was waived by the New York Knicks on Sept. 28. Morris is a 13-year NBA veteran who has played for the Knicks, LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s averaged 12.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 832 career games.

KU players on NBA Opening Day Rosters

Ochai Agbaji – Toronto Raptors

Christian Braun – Denver Nuggets

Gradey Dick – Toronto Raptors

Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers

Johnny Furphy – Indiana Pacers

Kevin McCullar – New York Knicks

Markieff Morris – Dallas Mavericks

Svi Mykhailiuk – Utah Jazz

Kelly Oubre – Philadelphia 76ers

Andrew Wiggins – Golden State Warriors

Jalen Wilson – Brooklyn Nets