Former Kansas forward KJ Adams is set to get back on the floor after a year away from competitive basketball, and his next stop is the NBA Summer League with the Golden State Warriors.
Adams, who tore his Achilles in his final collegiate game on March 20, 2025, will suit up for Golden State in the annual preseason exhibition event. The Warriors open their run in the California Classic against the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco on Friday night.
His addition became public Monday night, when the Warriors unveiled their roster to reporters at Summer League media day.
A 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Austin, Texas, Adams spent four seasons at Kansas and became a familiar face for Jayhawks fans along the way. He was part of the national title team as a freshman in 2021-22, then earned Big 12 most improved player honors after moving into a starting role at small-ball center the next season.
His best statistical season came as a junior, when he was named an all-conference honorable mention after averaging 12.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while sharing the frontcourt with Hunter Dickinson. As a senior, his scoring dipped somewhat, but his rebounding numbers climbed.
Adams’ injury came in the closing minutes of a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas. After he came down awkwardly following a defensive rebound with a little more than three minutes left and Kansas leading 67-64, the Jayhawks never recovered. Arkansas ripped off seven straight points and finished with a 79-72 win.
He had surgery soon after and has spent the past year working his way back while also serving as an assistant video coordinator on Bill Self’s staff. Self said recently that Adams had worked out for the Dallas Mavericks.
“He’s not where he needs to be, but he told me he felt pretty good and felt good to be out there and he probably did a little bit better than he had anticipated,” Self said on June 23. “But yeah, he has the ability to do that now.”
Adams is one of several former KU players slated for NBA Summer League action. No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson will play for the Utah Jazz, undrafted rookies Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White are in line to see time for the New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat, respectively, and Adams’ former teammate Zeke Mayo, who spent last year with the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League, will play for the Atlanta Hawks, his agency announced Monday. More names are expected to be added soon.
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