Fansided

North Carolina basketball: Ranking the 27 best Tar Heels of all time

By Cody Williams

CHAPEL HILL, NC - 1983: Michael Jordan #23 of the North Carolina Tar Heels sits in the huddle against the Clemson Tigers circa 1983 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1983 NBAE (Photo by Anthony Neste/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - 1983: Michael Jordan #23 of the North Carolina Tar Heels sits in the huddle against the Clemson Tigers circa 1983 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1983 NBAE (Photo by Anthony Neste/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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University of North Carolina basketball player Michael Jordan shoots the winning basket in the 1982 NCAA Finals against Georgetown University. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
University of North Carolina basketball player Michael Jordan shoots the winning basket in the 1982 NCAA Finals against Georgetown University. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) /

2. Michael Jordan (1981-84)

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, but he’s the second greatest Tar Heel. After leaving Chapel Hill, he went on to have an unrivaled NBA career in which he won six NBA Championships and changed the league forever. While his time at UNC was undeniably great, though, his pro career can’t factor into the equation here.

Jordan joined the Tar Heels from Wilmington, NC and became part of an absolutely loaded roster. Even as a freshman, he played a sizable role, even if he wasn’t the first option with James Worthy and Sam Perkins on the roster. Still, Jordan averaged 13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game that season, winning ACC Rookie of the Year for the 1981-82 season and sealing the Tar Heel victory in the National Championship Game over Georgetown.

As a sophomore, Jordan was named a Consensus first-team All-American after averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game for the Tar Heels. If that weren’t enough, he essentially replicated that line by averaging 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, despite playing 1.4 fewer minutes per contest as a junior. That season not only earned him another All-American nod but also led to him winning the Wooden and Naismith Awards.

Jordan’s No. 23 is rightfully retired in Chapel Hill and, had he stayed for his senior year, he may well have earned the top spot in these rankings. With three years of elite production and top-tier accolades, though, he comes in only in second.