Two former University of Colorado men’s basketball players have secured new contracts in the NBA as the league resumes play after the all-star break.
KJ Simpson has signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. Previously, Simpson was drafted by Charlotte in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft and played 50 games for the Hornets over two seasons on a two-way deal. During that time, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. This season, he appeared in 14 games with averages of 6.0 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds.
Simpson completed his three-year career at Colorado from 2021 to 2024 with notable rankings in school history: ninth in assists (378), eleventh in three-pointers made (133), thirteenth in steals (129), and fifteenth in points (1,424). In his junior year during the 2023-24 season, he was named to both the NABC All-District and All-Pac-12 Conference First Teams while also earning an honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. That season, Simpson led Colorado to a program-record 26 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance while averaging 19.7 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
Jabari Walker has moved from a two-way contract to a standard contract with the Philadelphia 76ers after joining them on July 5, 2025. Walker played in 45 games this season for Philadelphia, averaging 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds over an average of just over twelve minutes per contest. His top performance came against Milwaukee on December 5 when he scored eighteen points; he also recorded his first double-double of the season against Washington on December 2 with ten points and twelve rebounds.
Walker entered the NBA as a second-round pick by Portland in the 2022 draft and played three seasons for Portland before joining Philadelphia’s roster this year.
At Colorado from 2020 to 2022, Walker averaged 11.5 points and 7.2 rebounds over 59 games.He earned first-team honors from both All-Pac-12 and national organizations during his sophomore campaign, leading his conference with an average of nine-point-four rebounds per game that year.
