In high school, Arthur guided South Oak Cliff High School to back-to-back Texas 4A state titles in 2005 and 2006 and was the tournament's MVP both years. However, it was later determined that the school illegally changed player's grades to keep them eligible, and the titles have since been forfeited. Arthur went on to earn McDonald's All-American and third-team Parade All-American honors in 2006. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Arthur was listed as the No. 3 power forward and the No. 16 player in the nation in 2006.
College career
Arthur's uniform number in college was 00, making him the first Jayhawk to wear that number since Greg Ostertag. He was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie team his Freshmen year in 2006–07. Arthur was named to the All-Big 12 first team the year Kansas won the NCAA championship.
Professional career
Memphis Grizzlies (2008–2013)
Arthur was selected by the New Orleans Hornets as the 27th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft but was promptly traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for cash. The Trail Blazers then traded Arthur to the Houston Rockets for draft rights to 25th overall pick Nicolas Batum. Soon afterwards, the Rockets traded Arthur to the Memphis Grizzlies for draft rights to the 28th overall pick Donté Greene. On September 3, 2008, Arthur and fellow former Kansas Jayhawks teammate Mario Chalmers were excused from NBA's Rookie Training Camp following a marijuana-related incident. Police responding to their hotel room following a fire alarm at 2:00 a.m. claimed that the room smelled strongly of marijuana but none was found and no charges were filed. Fellow NBA rookie Michael Beasley was also reported to have been in the room at the time, but was not asked to leave camp. Beasley was later fined $50,000 for his involvement in the incident Arthur later released a statement denying any involvement with marijuana. Arthur was later fined $20,000 by the league for missing the rookie camp, but was not fined or suspended for any drug-related violations. On June 29, 2012, the Grizzlies extended a qualifying offer to Arthur, making him a restricted free agent.
Denver Nuggets (2013–2018)
On June 27, 2013, Arthur was traded to the Denver Nuggets along with 55th overall draft pick Joffrey Lauvergne in exchange for Kosta Koufos. On June 23, 2014, he exercised his player option for the 2014–15 season. On August 7, 2015, Arthur re-signed with the Nuggets. On March 31, 2016, he tied a career high with 24 points off the bench in a 101–95 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. On July 9, 2016, Arthur again re-signed with the Nuggets. On July 13, 2018, Arthur was traded, along with Kenneth Faried, a protected 2019 first round draft pick and a 2020 second round draft pick, to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Isaiah Whitehead. Seven days later, Arthur was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jared Dudley and a 2021 second round draft pick. On October 15, 2018, he was waived by the Suns.
