"I was bawling my eyes out": When Kansas star Hunter Dickinson revealed "hardest part" behind Michigan transfer

Hunter Dickinson's transfer portal stint was one of the most-talked moves during the 2023 offseason. The 7-foot-2 big left the Michigan Wolverines after three years of anchoring its paint to join the Kansas Jayhawks. Dickinson is thriving under Bill Self's coaching. His presence was a major reason KU was listed as the top team in the latest preseason AP poll.

However, the star center had trouble opening up about his decision to his then-coach Juwan Howard, who he admired as a father figure. Dickinson recounted his transfer journey in the Jan. 20, 2024 episode of "The Field Of 68: After Dark."

"The thing that made it the hardest wasn't the legacy of getting my jersey retired or all the stats, all the ACC, connections - it was probably just leaving Juwan honestly," he said (at 1:18).

"That was the hardest thing that made me try to push it off for a day or two. Really just having to tell him face to face that I'm leaving because the closest thing I've had to another dad was Juwan; he really was like that dude for me. And when I was in there, I was bawling my eyes out, telling him I had to leave because that's how I feel about him."

Despite the emotional hurdle, Hunter Dickinson iterated that he completely stands by his decision to suit up for Kansas. He also confidently added that had he transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats, he would have had similar national success as the Jayhawks.

Why did Hunter Dickinson leave Michigan for Kansas?

Hunter Dickinson was one of the top names in Big Ten's best player leaderboard during his three years with the Wolverines. However, the center was not content with the compensation and NIL opportunities that came with a Michigan jersey.

"The people hating on me would leave their job right now for a $10,000 increase. I got, at Michigan, less than six figures," he said while appearing on Barstool's 'Roundball' podcast in May 2023.

However, while speaking to ESPN next month, he added that his decision to join Kansas was basketball-driven, expressing that he had much better monetary offers at hand.

"If I wanted to just go to the highest bidder, then it wouldn't be Kansas," he said.

Hunter Dickinson joined Bill Self's program due to its reputation for winning and producing high-caliber players. While Self shared the NIL opportunities Dickinson could capitalize on with the Jayhawks, he mostly spoke about basketball, how he would fit with the roster and his potential path to the NBA.