Kansas Basketball Legend Has High School Jersey Retired

With this honor, let’s take a look at Wilson’s career and how he got to where he is today. 

High School: Denton Guyer

As mentioned, Wilson attended Denton Guyer High School. Wilson was a four-year starter for the Wildcats and had breakout seasons in his junior and senior years.

Over the course of his junior year, Wilson averaged 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and three assists per game his senior year.

Over his final two years of play, Wilson led the Wildcats to a 70-7 record (32-5 as a senior and 38-2 as a junior). Wilson ended his high school career with two 6A All-State honors, and All-Regional and District 5-6A Co-MVP selections. 

College: Kansas

Coming out of high school, Wilson was a consensus four-star prospect and was ranked No. 46 in the country via 247Sports. He was originally committed to Michigan, but would later reopen his recruitment and commit to Kansas, following the departure of Michigan’s head coach, John Beilein.  

Wilson had an outstanding career for the Jayhawks. The Texas native redshirted during the 2019-20 season but got off to a strong start the following year. He averaged 11.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and two assists per game as a redshirt freshman (2021-22).

He ranked second in the Big 12 in rebounds per game and double-doubles (9) recorded. Wilson was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer and All-Freshman teams.

The following year, Wilson averaged 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. During the Jayhawks' March Madness run, he averaged 12 points and 9.7 rebounds a game and recorded four double-doubles.

Kansas would go on to defeat North Carolina in the National Championship, and Wilson added 15 points and 4 rebounds to the stat sheet in the win. Wilson was also named to the All-Big 12 Third Team.

Wilson would return for his junior year, where he played some of the best basketball of his life. He averaged 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Wilson won the Julius Erving award and was a consensus first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year.  

NBA: Brooklyn Nets

After his junior season, Wilson declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. He was selected 51st overall by the Brooklyn Nets. He was originally on a two-way contract, but signed a multi-year contract in March of 2024. Wilson’s best season of his career so far came during the 2023-24 season. He had a career-high 21 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 27, 2023.

Jalen Wilson has had quite the career, and this honor of having his jersey retired is more than deserved.