Fansided

Ranking the top 30 UNC basketball players in program history

By Cooper Watson

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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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 10: President Mitch Kupchak of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the 2019 Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 10: President Mitch Kupchak of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the 2019 Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

22. Mitch Kupchak (1972-76)

Mitch Kupchak won three NBA Championships as a player for the Washington Bullets and the Los Angeles Lakers and seven as an executive with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has since returned to North Carolina, where he is currently the general manager of the Michael Jordan-owned Charlotte Hornets. While his professional career might be what he is best known for, Kupchak also had a highly successful four-year college career under Head Coach Dean Smith.

Kupchak averaged 18.5 PPG and 10.8 RPG as a junior, leading UNC to an ACC Tournament title and a Sweet Sixteen appearance. As a senior, Kupchak averaged 17.6 PPG and 11.3 RPG as the Heels won their seventh ACC regular-season title over a 10-year span.

Kupchak averaged 7.7 and 10.7 PPG as a freshman and sophomore, with the Heels missing the NCAA Tournament in both seasons. This relative lack of success to begin his career drops him down the list slightly, but Kupchak’s peak as an All-American and ACC Player of the Year in 1976  places him in elite company among a long list of North Carolina greats.