Who are the top former UNC players in NBA history?
Few programs have been more successful or produced more NBA players than the University of Carolina men’s basketball team. With seven National Championships and twenty Final Four appearances, the Tar Heels are a true collegiate powerhouse.
At the NBA level, UNC players have gone on to enjoyed immense success. Michael Jordan, of course, is the first and last word in Tar Heel greatness, but there are plenty of other players who made a splash in the Association after a stint on Chapel Hill.
The UNC men’s basketball team played its first season way back in 1910-11. Before both World Wars and a generation before the NBA came to be. In fact, they started playing hoops at UNC only twenty years after the sport was invented. Tobacco Road has long been a bastion for basketball.
Unsurprisingly, the list of former Tar Heels who went on to have successful professional careers is long and storied. Let’s jump and and assess who are the top former UNC players in NBA history.
Michael Jordan
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Yes, Michael Jordan famously was “too short” to play high school varsity basketball his sophomore season. That didn’t stop the future GOAT, who ended up absolutely dominating the high school scene for the next two years. As such, Jordan was heavily recruited by NCAA programs. He ended up turning down Syracuse, Duke, and Virginia. The North Carolina landed with UNC.
MJ was the ACC Freshman of the Year. He was named to the NCAA All-American First Team twice, and was the Wooden College Player of the Year in 1984. And beyond the personal accolades, Jordan and the Tar Heels won the 1982 NCAA Men’s Title in 1982. Unsurprisingly, MJ’s jersey hangs among the retired numbers at the Dean Smith Center
As a pro, well, you know the rest. If nothing else, UNC gave the world Michael Jeffrey Jordan – if this list ended here, that would be good enough. (It does not end here.)
James Worthy
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While Michael Jordan might have been the ringer of the that 1982 Tar Heels championship team, James Worthy was the elder statesman. He was the team’s leading scorer that season, turning in 15.6 points per game. And it was his heroic scoring and iconic dunk over Patrick Ewing that helped UNC defeat Georgetown in the championship game.
Worthy was drafted by the Lakers in 1982, and was an immediate success. His speed and athleticism helped him compete alongside the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team, and went on to play in seven All-Star games during his career.
James Worthy won three titles in the NBA and the 1988 Finals MVP. Few players have enjoyed so much success in the Association, a testament to his UNC roots.
Bob McAdoo
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Bob McAdoo was an eventual teammate of James Worthy on the Showtime Lakers. Then-general Manager Jerry West deserves immense credit for his vision. McAdoo, however, had a very circuitous path to NBA greatness.
After attending high school in Greensboro, McAdoo originally enrolled at Vincennes University, leading the team to the 1970 NJCAA championship. It was McAdoo’s mother who called legendary UNC coach Dean Smith about bringing her son to Chapel Hill. McAdoo was the ACC Tournament MVP that year and he and the Tar Heels went to the 1972 Final Four.
McAdoo continued to dominate once he joined the NBA. He was named league MVP in 1975 as a member of the Buffalo Braves (now the LA Clippers). The ‘Doo averaged 34.5 points and 14.1 rebounds that season. Still, McAdoo bounced around the NBA before finding a home with the Lakers in Dec. 1981.
McAdoo wasn’t the star of Showtime, but he won two titles with LAL in ’82 and ’85. And to really round out and up and down career, he spent the twilight of his career playing in Italy.
Vince Carter
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Before Vince Carter was lighting up the pros with his insane dunking prowess, he was helping UNC establish a new era of greatness. Carter was there to bridge the gap between Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge, and was part of the famous “Six Starters” mantra.
During Carter’s sophomore and junior seasons, the Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament and reached consecutive Final Fours. Air Canada declared for the draft in 1998, and worked behind the scenes during his NBA career to complete his studies, which he did in 2000.
During the 1998 draft, Carter was selected fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors. He was then traded to the Toronto Raptors for his college teammate and good friend, Antawn Jamison.
Antawn Jamison
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Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter might not have much NBA hardware to their names, but they are both among the most prolific UNC players the Association has ever seen. Jamison in particular is severely underrated. Consider where he ranks among all former Tar Heels in NBA history.
First in career rebounds. Third in minutes played. Eighth in steals. Third in points scored.
Jamison never got over the hump in the NBA, but he certainly made a lasting impact. Anyone who watched him play at UNC could see this coming. He was a three-time All-ACC First Teamer, the 1998 ACC Tournament MVP, and the 1998 National college player of the year.
Walter Davis
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Walter Davis is another North Carolina native who went on to have a smashing basketball career. One of thirteen, Davis was a high school stand out who had no problem rising to the challenge of playing for Dean Smith and the Tar Heels. While at UNC, Sweet D had his iconic buzzer-beater against rival Duke and was named First-Team All-ACC in 1977.
Davis played for the Men’s Olympic Team, winning a Gold Medal during the 1976 Montreal Games. In 1977 he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns, continued his streak of excellence. As a rookie he played in 81 games and averaged 24.2 points a night. “The Man with the Velvet Touch” was a six-time NBA All-Star and his No. 6 jersey was retired by the Suns in 1994.
Danny Green
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The current crop of former UNC players in the NBA is a little flat. You’ve got guys like Cole Anthony and Harrison Barnes, but no absolute studs. Danny Green, however, deserves a bit of recognition.
Let’s not forget that Green is a three-time NBA champion, each time lending important three and D support off the bench. This makes sense – during his freshman year at UNC he was the preeminent sixth man.
Green worked hard, and in his senior season he was rewarded. Along with Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor, Green won an NCAA Title and was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team in 2009.
Rasheed Wallace
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Legendary basketball coach Larry Brown played for the UNC Tar Heels way back in the 1960s. Decades later, he would lead fellow Tar Heel Rasheed Wallace to an NBA Title in 2004.
In 1995, Sheed was named All-ACC First-team and went to the Final Four with coach Dean Smith. Wallace had an otherwise quiet college career. The same could not be said of his time in the NBA.
Wallace was an NBA champion and a multi-time All-Star. In some ways he helped create the modern version of an athletic big who can spread the floor. He has since moved on to coaching, most recently with Brown and Penny Hardaway at the University of Memphis.
Kenny Smith
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Long before Kenny Smith was one of the premier voices of the basketball, long before he was a two-time NBA Champion, the Jet was a Tar Heel. Alongside Michael Jordan, Smith helped lead UNC to a remarkable 28-3 record in 1983-84. The team came up short, however, and MJ headed to the pros.
Smith and the Tar Heels earned consecutive Elite Eight appearances in ’85 and ’86. In 1987, Smith was consensus first-time All-American and first-time All-ACC. The Sacramento Kings selected Smith with the No. 6 pick in that year’s NBA Draft.
After a decade as a pro, the Jet joined Turner Broadcasting to help with its NBA coverage. Smith is something of an icon, famously saying “let’s go home, ladies and gentlemen” in response to former Tar Heel Vince Carter and his explosive performance at the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest.
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