The Kansas City Chiefs fan base is part of a larger community contingent that supports the area’s best talent. Chiefs Kingdom and fans of the University of Kansas share a similar bond when rooting for their championship-winning clubs.
Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to former Kansas Jayhawk and current Brooklyn Nets standout Jalen Wilson about his new business partnership with Barcode, Summer League performance, and thoughts on the Chiefs and Jayhawks fanbases.
“I was super excited to understand the background of everything, and once we got going, it was fun to be a part of something like that that you want to enjoy in the city,” Wilson said of his new deal with Barcode. “It’s just something that’s been part of my journey as far as playing basketball, Who doesn’t want to drink [something] that is to enhance me and help me play my game?”
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Wilson is entering his second NBA season and recently earned NBA 2K25 Summer League MVP honors for his elite performance in the offseason tournament. He averaged 21.8 points and 4.6 rebounds over a five-game span for the Brooklyn Nets.
“It was a blessing and an opportunity that I was given,” Wilson explained of his Summer League performance. “I think any athlete in any sport just wants an opportunity to play and showcase what they can do. I was very thankful for the moment and [I] just was able to put in all the hard work in the summer leading up to Summer League when it was time to play finally just came naturally because of all the hard work, so just putting in the work before everything is always important because it’s hard to replicate game reps. So, as much as you can get in the gym, repetition is important. That’s what I was able to do.”
Wilson won a National Championship and a Conference Player of the Year award during his four years at the University of Kansas. Later in his interview with Easton, Wilson described the unparalleled support from the community throughout his career in Lawrence and explained the parallels he sees in Chiefs Kingdom’s support of Kansas City’s players.
“I think it was just really cool for Kansas to have something to lean on, and basketball and football… there’s no NBA team, so it was really important for us to go out, and that was one thing Coach (Bill Self) always instilled in us as representing the name across the jersey,” said Wilson. “There are so many passionate people in Kansas who go out and support us. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. They all come out and show their support for us, which was always cool to represent.”
Both teams’ fanbases have shown plenty of support over the years, and each team has won championships.
“I know the Chiefs felt the same way; their football field (Arrowhead Stadium) is probably known as one of the hardest places to play, and that’s due to the fans coming in,” Wilson continued. “[It doesn’t] matter if it’s negative 10 degrees out there, a lot of degrees like they’re showing up. They’re showing out every single time, which is just a testament to the people we have supporting.”
Check out the website for more information on Jalen and Brooklyn Nets’ partnership with Barcode.