Fansided

Ranking the top 30 UNC basketball players in program history

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 26: TV personality/former NBA player Kenny Smith speaks onstage during the 2017 NBA Awards Live on TNT on June 26, 2017 in New York, New York. 27111_002 (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TNT)
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 26: TV personality/former NBA player Kenny Smith speaks onstage during the 2017 NBA Awards Live on TNT on June 26, 2017 in New York, New York. 27111_002 (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TNT)

19. Kenny Smith (1983-87)

Kenny Smith is perhaps best known at this point for his post-playing career on Inside the NBA alongside Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Shaq, but his days as a player were also incredibly successful.

While at UNC, Smith, then a freshman, teamed up most notably with Michael Jordan on a team that finished 28-3 and won the ACC with a 14-0 conference record. A four-year player, Smith’s UNC teams finished with a combined record of 115-22 and made two Elite Eights and two Sweet Sixteens. As a senior, Smith averaged 16.9 PPG and 6.1 APG, earning him first-team All-America honors.

Nicknamed ā€œThe Jet,ā€ Kenny Smith was known for his elite speed but also for his athleticism, proven later by his second-place finish (to Dominique Wilkins) in the 1990 NBA Dunk Contest. As a pro, Smith’s most memorable stop was in Houston, where he was the starting point guard on back-to-back NBA Championship teams in 1994 and 1995. Although often recognized for his TV gig or tenure with the Rockets, Kenny ā€œThe Jetā€ Smith was one of the best point guards in UNC history as well.