The accomplishments of basketball players from the Sunflower State of Kansas to the heights of the NBA have been plentiful this summer. Former Wichita State Shocker Landry Shamet and Kansas Jayhawk Kevin McCullar Jr. just won the NBA championship with the New York Knicks. And just days later, Shamet signed a four-year, $24 million contract extension with New York, proving how valuable his important clutch shotmaking was throughout the playoffs.
And the success didn't stop there, as former Jayhawk and No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Andrew Wiggins, signed a two-year extension with the Miami Heat. And former K-State Wildcat Dean Wade just inked his first mega-deal in the league on a four-year ride to the Philadelphia 76ers. Both Wiggins and Wade had very different college careers, and the same has happened in the pros. But fans of either the Jayhawks and Wildcats can be proud to see their former stars shine bright at the height of their respective basketball careers.
Wiggins, a 12-year NBA vet, has seen success and failure in the league and signed a two-year, $64 million contract extension with the Heat. He was a one-and-done at KU under Bill Self and was one of the most hyped prospects of his time, given many nicknames, two of them being 'Junior Jordan' and 'The Prospect.' Whereas Wade worked his way up at K-State over four years, eventually becoming an impressive two-way forward who went undrafted in 2019. Wade's career started in Cleveland, where again he had to rise up the ranks and eventually make it into a reliable role player.
The former Jayhawk and Wildcat both have prolonged their basketball careers in the big league
Wiggins, now 31 years old, played for five years in Minnesota, winning Rookie of the Year in 2015 before being traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he made his lone All-Star appearance in 2022, helping the Warriors capture an NBA title as a starter. He was then traded once more to the Miami Heat prior to the 2024 season and had the best shooting campaign of his career this past season, scoring over 15 points per game on 48-41-78 shooting splits.
He remains on a Miami team, which just acquired superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in an earth-shattering trade. Wade, a seven-year vet and now 29 years of age, did not possess the immense talent of Wiggins in college and had to work at it to make any meaningful contribution. Wade signed two separate, cheap, two-way contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he grew to become a 20-minute-a-game bench player who could do a little bit of everything. He signed a three-year, $18.5 million contract in 2023 and hit free agency following this latest season.
The 76ers quickly nabbed him on a sizable four-year, $39 million deal that should allow him to be more of a featured scorer and defensive menace. It's safe to say that both former Kansas stars are living life pretty well in the NBA, paving the way forward for more college prospects to hit the pro ranks.
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