Former Kansas Basketball Forward Bryson Tiller Commits to Rival Missouri

There’s a saying that many Kansas basketball fans use for players who are no longer with the program: “Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk.” That phrase is used as a fond farewell towards players who graduate, leave for the NBA, or sometimes for another school that allows them a better opportunity to play and chase their dreams.

But there is one former Jayhawk who is receiving no such well wishes after deciding to transfer to KU’s hated Border War rival – the Missouri Tigers.

On Thursday morning, Bryson Tiller announced his intention to transfer to Missouri live on The Field of 68 podcast, which immediately invoked the ire of many Kansas Jayhawk fans. The term “traitor” was thrown around a lot on social media, and the comments section of Tiller’s announcement on Instagram was full of Jayhawk fans sharing their feelings about the move.

Remarkably, this is the first known instance in the 135 years of the Border War rivalry that a Kansas men’s basketball player has ever transferred across the border to Missouri.

How it Happened

Tiller often struggled this past season to show the necessary toughness and effort asked of Kansas head coach Bill Self which resulted in him heading to the bench for long periods of time and losing playing time to backup big Paul Mbiya during the NCAA Tournament.

Given that, it wasn’t a complete shock that Tiller decided to enter the transfer portal, but there was hope among KU fans that he would stay and develop into the player he had the potential to become.

Tiller credited his relationship with his new head coach Dennis Gates as a primary reason for his decision to head to Columbia next season.

“He’s been recruiting me since my freshman year of high school,” said Tiller. “So, we definitely had a good relationship, and I trust in him and the University of Missouri to do what needs to be done to win and get me to the next level.”

Field of 68 host and college basketball insider Jeff Goodman told Tiller to be ready to hear some boos when Missouri faces Kansas this year.

“I’m extremely ready,” Tiller replied. “I’m going to embrace it. I’m with the Mizzou Tigers. I’m excited to win, I’m excited to play with my teammates, and I’m excited to dominate overall.”

Kansas and Missouri will face off for the final time during the 2026-27 season as part of the renewed “Border Showdown” series that the two schools agreed to back in 2019, which was later extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The game will take place at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, at a to-be-determined date and time.

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