Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) salutes the Fieldhouse as he is acknowledged during the Senior Night speeches on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

After the Kansas men’s basketball team suffered a blowout loss at Houston on March 9 in its final regular-season game of the 2023-24 season, KU head coach Bill Self said he regretted having super-senior Kevin McCullar Jr. play in the game.

McCullar had been dealing off and on for the prior two months with a bone bruise to his knee that kept him out of action frequently and hampered him when he was able to play. In that game against the Cougars he went 0-for-4 from the field in just 15 minutes of action.

McCullar never played another game for KU due to his ongoing injury. In fact, he didn’t play in a formal basketball game until Thursday, when he made his professional debut for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.

It was a long time coming for the 6-foot-7 wing out of San Antonio, who spent four years at Texas Tech and two at KU — the second as an All-American honorable mention and first-team all-conference selection — before the New York Knicks acquired him in the 2024 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns at 56th overall and immediately traded.

McCullar’s status was a subject of significant curiosity for Knicks fans in the months between his selection (on June 27) and his debut, which included a period in which New York listed him on its NBA Summer League roster but didn’t play him at any point.

Writing for The Athletic on Nov. 18, reporter James L. Edwards III answered a question about McCullar’s prospective availability by noting in part, “​​New York drafted McCullar knowing that he had a knee issue and likely wouldn’t be ready to play anytime soon. The rookie from Kansas has been with the main club and rehabbing since training camp. It’s my understanding that McCullar will be out several months.”

McCullar, who is on a two-way contract, surprised many of those fans by surfacing for the Knicks’ minor league affiliate on Thursday in a game on the road at the Osceola Magic. In 16 minutes of action he scored 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting with an assist, a steal and a turnover. He attacked the basket with strength off the dribble.

“Man after a long year it felt good to be back out there competing!” McCullar wrote in a post on X. “God is so good.”

Westchester, however, dropped a 119-111 result at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida. The team, which is currently 10-6 on the season, has an upcoming game next Friday at the Cleveland Charge.