Rush was the starting small forward in every game that season. He led the Jayhawks in scoring, rebounding and three-point shooting percentage. He was instrumental in the team's Big 12 Conference championship run, and was elected the conference Freshman of the Year. He was also the first freshman ever to be named to the First Team All-Big 12, before Kevin Durant did it the following season for the Texas Longhorns. He was selected as the preseason Co-Player of the Year in the Big 12, along with fellow Jayhawk Julian Wright. He was also selected as a preseason All-American. In 2007, he earned a position on the All-Tournament Team in the Big 12 Tournament. On April 26, 2007, Rush announced his intentions to enter the 2007 NBA draft, but he did not sign with an agent.
Injury
Rush returned to Kansas in May 2007, after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a pickup game. He had planned to enter the 2007 NBA draft had he not been injured, but returned to play for Kansas. On June 1, 2007, the torn ACL was successfully repaired. After rehabilitation, He returned to play in November, and became a starter soon afterward. On October 27, 2010, it was reported that Rush had, in fact, suffered the ACL injury during an illegal workout conducted by Rodney Heard, director of East Coast scouting for the New York Knicks; Isiah Thomas, then-president of the Knicks, is said to have known of the secret workouts. Rush verified the allegation, and severe sanctions were expected to be levied against the Knicks organization.
Junior season
After returning to the starting lineup, he led Kansas to a national title in the 2008 NCAA championship. He was named Most Valuable Player in the national semifinal game against North Carolina, with 25 points and 7 rebounds. He was rated number one small forward in all of college basketball by Rivals.com for his overall statistics after being named MVP in the Big 12 Tournament and averaging 15.8 points per game in the six games of the NCAA national championship tournament. On April 17, 2008, he declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft, skipping his senior year. On February 22, 2017, the University of Kansas basketball program retired his jersey, #25.
Professional career
Indiana Pacers (2008–2011)
Rush was selected 13th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA draft. He was then traded to the Indiana Pacers, along with Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts, for Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu.
On December 19, 2011, Rush was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Louis Amundson. On August 1, 2012, Rush re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year, $8 million contract. In a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 2, 2012, Rush injured his left knee landing awkwardly after being fouled in the air by Zach Randolph. An MRI the next day revealed a torn ACL. The extent of the injury ruled him out for the remainder of the 2012–13 season.
On July 22, 2014, Rush signed a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, returning to the franchise for a second stint. Rush won his first NBA championship with the Warriors after they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals in six games. On June 25, 2015, Rush exercised his player option with the Warriors for the 2015–16 season. On November 28, 2015, he started at small forward against the Sacramento Kings in place of the injured Harrison Barnes. He subsequently scored 16 points, his highest scoring total since scoring 19 points on April 22, 2012. On January 8, 2016, he scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting against the Portland Trail Blazers. Rush helped the Warriors win an NBA record 73 games to eclipse the 72 wins set by the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls. Rush played limited minutes during the Warriors playoff run to the NBA Finals. The Warriors would again face the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the Warriors going up 3–1 in the series following a Game 4 win, they went on to lose the series in seven games to become the first team in NBA history to lose the championship series after being up 3–1.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2017)
On July 8, 2016, Rush signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. On September 19, 2017, Rush signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was waived on October 14 as one of the team's final preseason roster cuts.
Portland Trail Blazers (2018)
On February 21, 2018, the Portland Trail Blazers signed Rush to a 10-day contract. Rush left Portland after the 10-day contract expired, without even playing a game for the team.
Larisa (2019–2020)
On November 21, 2019, Rush returned to action and signed overseas with Greek Basket League club Larisa for the remainder of the 2019–2020 season.
