The North Carolina Tar Heels are the definition of a college basketball blueblood. The sheer number of NCA Tournament appearances, ACC titles, Final Fours, and national championships is hard to match.
As for their history of great players, it features a who’s who of NBA stars, Hall of Famers, and all-time college basketball greats.
We’ll do our best to narrow it down to the 10 best North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball players of all time.
10. Bob McAdoo, center
Bob McAdoo was part of the great North Carolina teams of the early 1970s. Hailing from Greensboro, the junior college phenom wasn’t being recruited by the Tar Heels until his mother called up Dean Smith personally. In 1972, McAdoo helped the Tar Heels make a run to the Final Four, averaging 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He also was the ACC’s Tournament MVP that season. McAdoo was an All-American and made first-team All-ACC that year. He went on to have a successful NBA career and is a member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
9. Kenny Smith, point guard
Kenny “The Jet” Smith is known to younger NBA audiences for his work on Inside the NBA but he was one of the best point guards to ever put on a UNC uniform. Smith was an All-American and made the ACC’s All-Conference teams three times. He played alongside two other Carolina greats, Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins. In 1987, the year he was a first-team All-American, Smith averaged 16.9 points, and 6.1 assists while helping North Carolina to return to the Elite Eight. Smith ended his college career ranked second in school history in assists while averaging 12.9 points and 6.0 assists per game, shooting .512 from the field and .823 from the free-throw line.
8. Antawn Jamison, power forward
There are so many great Tar Heels that Antawn Jamison is often forgotten, but he was one of the best. Jamison was a two-time All-American, National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, made the ACC All-Freshman Team, and made first-team All-ACC three times. While at Chapel Hill, Jamison averaged almost a double-double for his career, 19 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He had his number retired in 2000 and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
7. Brad Daugherty, center
Before Brad Daugherty became a NASCAR mogul, he was a huge star for the Tar Heels. He was an All-American and was named first-team ACC twice in his career. A little-known fact is that Daugherty entered college at the age of 16, though by the time his senior season rolled around he was averaging more than 20 points per game. He also was named to the 50th Anniversary All-ACC Team. Back problems limited Daugherty’s NBA career but his interest in NASCAR has made him one of the most successful minority owners in any sport.
6. Eric Montross, center
It was a shock to many to hear that Eric Montross passed away recently. Montross was a dominant center for the Tar Heels back in the 1990s for Dean Smith and led his last national championship team in 1993. He was also a two-time second-team All-American and was named to the All-ACC Team twice. In four seasons at Chapel Hall, Montross appeared in 139 games, averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. While he was plagued by injuries throughout his NBA career he will always be for what he did while at Chapel Hill.
5. Jerry Stackhouse, shooting guard
Jerry Stackhouse is the head coach of the Vanderbilt Commandors these days but before that, he was a Carolina great. Stackhouse was an All-American, first-team All-ACC, part of the ACC All-Freshman team, and also an ACC Tournament MVP. In his sophomore year, Stackhouse led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game and averaged 8.2 rebounds per contest. He also helped lead UNC to the Final Four that year. In 2023, Stackhouse was named SEC Coach of the Year.
4. Billy Cunningham, small forward
Billy Cunningham may be better known for his brilliant NBA career as a player and coach, but he was a star while in Chapel Hill as well. Cunningham was a two-time All-American, ACC Player of the Year, and made first-team All-ACC three times. He set several school records, including grabbing 27 rebounds in a game and scoring 48 points in a game. In his UNC career, he scored 1,709 points (24.8 points per game) and grabbed 1,062 rebounds (15.4 rebounds per game). Cunningham still holds the record for most rebounds (1,062) in school history and the single-season records for most rebounds (379) and rebound average (16.1). Cunningham is a member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
3. Sam Perkins, power forward
Sam Perkins, Michael Jordan, and James Worthy were the glue that held together those great Dean Smith North Carolina teams of the 1980s. While he helped Smith win his first national championship in 1982, Perkins did so much more while he was there in Chapel Hill. He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981 and was a three-time All-American. He was also the 1984 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year and finished his collegiate basketball career as the Tar Heels’ all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots, not to mention the second-highest scorer in team history. In 2018, he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
2. James Worthy, small forward
If it wasn’t for the man in front of him on this list, James Worthy would be the No. 1 Tar Heels player of all time and no one would dispute it. As a junior, Worthy helped lead the team to a national championship and was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points again. He also was an All-American, ACC Athlete of the Year, Final Four Most Outstanding Player, ACC Tournament MVP, and made the first and second All-ACC teams. Worthy was also part of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary team. He went on to have a stellar NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning three championships. Worthy is a member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
1. Michael Jordan, shooting guard
Was there any doubt that Michael Jordan was number one? For this list, we are only going to focus on what Jordan did at UNC, before he became “Air Jordan.” He was a national champion, two-time All-American, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and national player of the year.
He was also named, like many other players on this list, to the ACC 5oth Anniversary team as well. During his time as a Tar Heel, he averaged 17.7 points on 54.0% shooting, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Of course, we know what happened after he left Chapel Hill, but even if he had never had a great NBA career, Jordan would still be one of the greatest college basketball players to ever play the game. He is a member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
