Flory Bidunga didn’t exactly light the fuse, but he didn’t put it out either.
The former Kansas big man was on hand for Louisville at this year’s ACC Basketball Tipoff, and when Steve Reed of the Associated Press asked why he left KU, Bidunga gave a candid answer that landed with a little more edge than he probably intended.
"Kansas is a great school, great coaches," Bidunga said. "Shoutout Coach Self, one of the best ones ever.
It wasn't bad blood or anything, I still love him, I still care about him. I want them to be great and to be successful.
I don't know, I feel like I just didn't want to waste a year."
That line - “I just didn’t want to waste a year” - is the one that will stick with Kansas fans, even if Bidunga was clearly trying to be careful with his wording.
He added another explanation moments later.
"Obviously, I came here to Louisville, and I also have a great coach here," he continued. "I feel like we can do something great with Pat Kelsey.
I loved my time being in Kansas for two years, but I guess I just wanted to see something else. I don't know."
Bidunga’s path to this point has already had more twists than most. He opened his college career coming off the bench behind Hunter Dickinson as a freshman, then entered the portal in 2025 before returning to the university on a new NIL contract. That move paid off in a big way: he became the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, putting up 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and a conference-leading 2.6 blocks per game.
But when he hit the portal again, Kansas couldn’t keep him. The 6-foot-9 shot blocker ultimately chose Louisville on what was reportedly a lucrative NIL deal KU couldn’t match. Kansas tried to replace him this offseason by bringing in former Charleston center Christian Reeves and counting on a jump from Paul Mbiya.
For Kansas, Bidunga’s departure was part of a roster overhaul that also included losing superstar freshman Darryn Peterson to the NBA Draft.
As for the timing of Bidunga’s return to Lawrence, it won’t take long. Louisville and Kansas are set to meet in a preseason exhibition at Allen Fieldhouse on Oct. 21, and the reaction figures to be loud. Jayhawk fans didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Hunter Dickinson when he returned to the Phog a year ago, and Bidunga probably shouldn’t expect a warmer reception.
In the transfer-portal era, “once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk” doesn’t seem to cover everybody.
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