Flory Bidunga becomes top target in transfer portal after departure from Kansas

The Jayhawks could be losing its star center in a shocking move

Mar 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While the Final Four is exciting, there’s nothing quite like the offseason in college basketball since the invention of the transfer portal, and the first bombshell dropped Thursday night as Kansas’ Flory Bidunga plans to enter the portal when it opens on Tuesday.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news.

While Bidunga is entering the portal he will also go through the NBA Draft process to get feedback from scouts and teams before making a decision on his future.

The sophomore started 34 games for Kansas this year, averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 64-percent from the field. He was named as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as well as a finalist for the National Defensive Player of the Year.

Bidunga’s decision marks the second straight offseason that he will enter the transfer portal after opting to return to Kansas last offseason following interest from many elite programs.

It’s a bit of a surprise that Flory Bidunga is entering the portal as head coach Bill Self announced his return to the Jayhawks on Wednesday after questions surrounding his retirement continued as he battled health issues in recent years.

However, Bidunga immediately becomes the top player available that has announced his intentions to transfer.

Currently he is projected as second round pick in the NBA Draft and ranked as the No. 37 player according to ESPN.

There will be a long line of suitors for Flory Bidunga if he decides to return to college basketball, which makes the most sense considering the depth of his year’s draft class.

On the flip side, Kansas will have a lot of retooling to do with the departure of Darryn Peterson and several other players from its roster as it adds a highly ranked recruiting class to Lawerence.