KU alum & NBA player Ochai Agbaji joined by former Jayhawks teammate at KC camp
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- Ochai Agbaji hosted his first youth basketball camp through his KC foundation.
- Christian Braun joined Agbaji to coach 90 kids in skills, leadership and teamwork.
- Camp ended with awards, jersey giveaways, and fan interaction including autographs.
KC-area kids had the chance to learn top-tier basketball skills from KU standout and Toronto Raptors player Ochai Agbaji on Friday at the former Jayhawk’s first-ever basketball skills camp, where he brought in other NBA players, professional trainers and coaches.
Around 90 co-ed participants were able to work not only on their technical skills at The Young Agbaji Foundation basketball skills camp, but also on their leadership and discipline skills for both on and off the court.
“Being in this space and this platform that I have today, through basketball, I want to give it back to them in any way possible whether it’s camps, mentorships, and anything like that,” Agbaji said as he looked around proudly at his camp.
“That’s the main purpose of my foundation is to serve the youth.”
He shared that hearing his name called at the 2022 NBA Draft was a “dream come true,” and that he hopes the kids at his camp would be inspired by his journey from Kansas City to the NBA as well.
Agbaji is an alum of not only the University of Kansas, but also of Oak Park High School right here in the metro. He detailed remembering being in these kids’ shoes growing up and wanting to help them get to where he is today through The Young Agbaji Foundation.
And Agbaji wasn’t the only KU alum and NBA player among the coaches at the MOKAN Basketball facility in Overland Park.
The Denver Nuggets’ Christian Braun made the trip back to KC to help his former KU teammate guide kids through drills, 3-on-3s and more hands-on skills training. Braun and Agbaji were teammates on KU basketball’s 2022 National Championship Team under coach Bill Self.
Agbaji and his team of coaches used the camp to encourage multiple groups of kids ranging in ages from 8 to 18, hyping up players in the middle of key moments and offering individual advice on improving their games.
Chris Neff, who coaches basketball at Staley High School and helped with the camp, said he was impressed by the kids. Neff also encouraged the importance of family in basketball and stressed that kids should continue to have fun while they learn the game.
Toward the end of the camp, Agbaji’s team rounded up the kids to hand out awards and encouraged them to thank their parents who brought them out to participate in the camp.
A select few players were gifted special “Ochai Agbaji” jerseys that were a mix of his college and NBA jerseys.
The awards portion of the day also included a hilarious moment when one of the awarded kids was wearing a Mizzou jersey but had to turn that jersey over before being given his KU Ochai Agbaji one.
To wrap up the camp, parents and their kids lined up to grab autographs and photos with Agbaji, Braun and his team.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 5:29 PM.
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