Wayne Simien, Former Kansas All-American, NBA Champion

Episode 281

Wayne Simien is a character coach with the Kansas Jayhawks. He played his college ball with KU, where he was a consensus All-America selection and Big 12 Player of the Year in 2005. His success in college led him to become a first-round draft pick in the NBA by the Miami Heat (29th overall).

Simien would play two seasons with the Heat and in his rookie season, earned an NBA championship ring as Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal helped Miami to their first ever championship in the 2006 NBA Finals. 

In October 2007, Simien was traded by Miami to Minnesota but never played another game in the NBA. He would play a few more years overseas, before retiring in May of 2009 at the age of 26 to pursue ministry work.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Wayne in Minneapolis at the Final Four about his role as a character coach, his testimony of faith in Christ, the state of faith in basketball, and the biggest spiritual struggle now in college basketball.

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