The North Carolina Tar Heels are basketball royalty. They own six National Championships, one more than the Duke Blue Devils. They made the championship game six additional times, and they’ve been in the Final Four 21 times in its history. This includes seven Final Four appearances in the 21st century and three championships. The Tar Heels are currently 3rd all-time in wins as a franchise. It’s a powerhouse by any name. They are expected to finish every season as a title contender, and anything less is considered a massive disappointment.Â
Coaching has been the bread and butter of North Carolina basketball, from Frank McGuire’s early success to Dean Williams’ dominance that lasted almost four decades, to Roy Williams jumping here from Kansas and bringing back prosperity, and now we’re watching to see if Hubert Davis can follow in their footsteps and bring a championship back to Chapel Hill. Yet, it’s been the players who drive the success of this program.Â
And who were those players who finished as the best of the best? The ones who made us proud to wear Carolina Blue?
10. Phil Ford, 1974–1978
Phil Ford is not known like many other North Carolina superstars, but he was amazing in the 1970s. He was a two-time All-American and the 1978 John Wooden Award winner. He’s led the ACC in assists for three consecutive seasons, and he helped the Tar Heels win four consecutive ACC titles.Â
Ford finds himself in the last position here because of his lack of success in the NCAA Tournament. For all his success in the regular season, Ford has only seen five postseason wins, and four of them came in the 1977 run to the National Championship Game. Ford and UNC unfortunately lost that game to Marquette 67-59. Too many players helped the Tar Heels win a title to move Ford higher.
His final home game came against the Duke Blue Devils, UNC’s biggest rival, and he had possibly the best game of his career. He had a college career high of 34 points and helped the Tar Heels win the game to clinch their first-place finish in the ACC in 1978. He finished his career with 2,290 points, good for fourth all-time in UNC. His 18.6 points per game also puts him in the top 10 all-time. Ford was as good a scorer as anyone who’s played for this program.Â
9. Bob McAdoo, 1971–1972
Bob McAdoo is one of the most successful NBA players, with two championships, an MVP, five All-Star appearances, a Rookie of the Year, and three scoring championships to his name. Bob McAdoo had an incredible career that spanned two decades, but it all started in Chapel Hill.
Actually, it didn’t start there. It started in Indiana at Vincennes University, where McAdoo attempted to get his academics up so he could go to a Division I school. After dominating at Vincennes, McAdoo became the only junior college player Dean Smith recruited, although he would say McAdoo’s mother did the recruiting for him. He joined North Carolina in 1971.Â
He was incredible for North Carolina. He averaged a double-double in college. His first season came with 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He earned consensus All-American honors. He took North Carolina to the Final Four, scoring 24 points with 15 rebounds in an eventual loss to Florida State. For that one season at UNC, he made the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. It was electric and impressive. He did make some people mad by leaving school early (which needed a special exemption from the NBA back then), but he was clearly ready for the NBA, and his family needed the money.Â
8. Ty Lawson, 2006–2009
Let’s get to our first national champion on the list. Ty Lawson played three seasons with North Carolina, and he finished his career at the top of his game, cutting down the nets in 2009. He might not be the most impressive name on the list, but in his era, Lawson was great.
Lawson is on this list because he could do just about everything at a really high level. He led the ACC in both assists and steals in 2008-09 while hitting 16.6 points per game. He won the Bob Cousy Award as the best point guard in the nation, and he was named the ACC Player of the Year for 2009. He was the first point guard to win since Phil Ford did it decades earlier.
But again, this is about the title win. When looking at Lawson’s best performance of his junior season, it’s probably the National Championship against the Michigan State Spartans. He had 21 points, four rebounds, six assists, and eight (!!!) steals in that game, leading to a 89-72 victory. Nobody has ever had more than eight steals in a March Madness game, and Lawson is the only person to do it in the National Championship. Lawson was a merchant in that game, taking 18 free throws and sinking 15 of them.
7. Jerry Stackhouse, 1993–1995
Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace (who just missed this list) were both incredible players who sustained success for the Tar Heels in the mid 90s. He is a legend in North Carolina. He became a star at Kingston High School. Stackhouse felt like an obvious pick to go to the University of North Carolina. He committed to Carolina Blue.Â
It didn’t take him long to be a star. By his sophomore season, he was averaging more than 19 points per game. That season, he shot 41 percent from three, adding a dynamic threat during every possession. He added 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game to showcase one of the best all-around seasons we’ve seen from a Tar Heel. He finished the season as a consensus All-American. He also helped UNC beat Duke in one of the best games in the history of this franchise, winning 102-100 in 2OT in February 1995.Â
In the tournament that season, Stackhouse was pretty good. He helped the Tar Heels get past powerhouse franchises like Georgetown and Kentucky before they were dispatched by Arkansas in the Final Four. Stackhouse scored 18 points in that game, but he didn’t have the overall impact that he had all season. Still, he left an incredible legacy that’s full of highlight reel plays and insane dunks.Â
6. Sam Perkins, 1980–1984
Sam Perkins was a necessary cog for North Carolina at a time when big men were dominating the college game. He was competing with Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, both of whom were at their peaks. Without Perkins, who went toe-to-toe with each of them, UNC was probably going to be outclassed in their matchups with Georgetown and Houston. Having a great guy in the pain who could match the impact of Ewing and Olajuwon was imperative. He did it despite playing mostly forward and standing at 6-foot-9.Â
Perkins was a two-time All-American during his four years with the Tar Heels, adding a second-team selection in his sophomore season. He finished his career with 2,145 points, good for fifth all-time in North Carolina History. He’s also third all-time in blocks with 245. Perkins was insanely efficient, good for eighth all-time in shooting percentage. Â
Of course, Perkins combined with Michael Jordan and James Worthy to deliver a championship to UNC. They both brought something different to the table, but it fit so perfectly into what Dean Smith was looking for from his lineup. Perkins's ability to play both inside and outside made him a matchup nightmare. During their championship game against Georgetown, Perkins only had 10 points, but he played a key role in pulling people off of Jordan for his game-winning shot.Â
5. Antawn Jamison, 1995–1998
There are no players in the history of North Carolina basketball that has more buckets than Antawn Jamison in one single season. There’s an argument that he is the best offensive player in the history of this program (he leads all players in Offensive Win Shares with 5.3 in 1997-98). When looking at his entire career, Jamison is fourth all-time in Offensive Win Shares at UNC.
He didn’t need 25 shots. He didn’t need isolation-heavy sets. Jamison thrived in rhythm with a soft touch off the glass, and a lightning-fast spin move that felt automatic. You’d look up and he’d have 22 points on what felt like six dribbles. Effeciency was his best attribute, and it helped lead North Carolina to contention for years.
In the tournament, Jamison was really good. He helped UNC get to the Final Four two years in a row. In 1998, he had a double-double in every game of the tournament (five games in a row). In 1997, he had 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Final Four against Arizona, albeit in a loss. Jamison was sneaky great and one of those players we don’t realize was great until he’s balling in the NBA.
4. Vince Carter, 1995-1998
Almost everyone who knows basketball know Vince Carter was special. He dominated the NBA, made the Slam Dunk Contest interesting (a Hall of Fame accomplishment in of itself), and he was one of the biggest stars of the post-Jordan era. Speaking of post-Jordan, Vince Carter was a star alongside Jamison during the mid-90s era of North Carolina basketball.
While he did have that superstar gene that saw those monster jams and insane clutch shots, the UNC version of Carter was a ridiculous shooter. He leads all North Carolinians in effective shooting percentage over his college career. In his senior season, he had 15.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Just like in the pros, Carter was there to shift momentum and change the pace. He was elite as a talent and elite in his effeciency.
In the national semifinals game against Utah, Carter finished with 21 points, five rebounds, and three blocks. This is coming from a shooting guard. He broke 20 points three times during that run to the Final Four. The year before, he had 21 points, six rebounds, and four steals against the Arizona Wildcats in the national semis. They both came in losses, but Carter did his part to get his team to the next level.
3. James Worthy, 1979–1982
Would you be surprised to hear that James Worthy is the only player on this list to go first overall in the NBA Draft? North Carolina is home to just two first-overall draft picks: Worthy and Brad Daugherty. Seven of the remaining nine players on this list went in the top five of the draft, but only one went first. And Worthy was more than deserving. Worthy became a key part of the Showtime Lakers, but before that, he was a superstar in Chapel Hill.
Worthy looked great right off the jump as a freshman, scoring 12.5 points per game with 7.4 rebounds, but a broken ankle cut his campaign short. In his sophomore season, he took another step forward. He scored 14.2 points per game and added 8.2 rebounds. Worthy pushed the Tar Heels to the National Championship Game. Unfortunately, nobody performed against Indiana, and Dean Smith was forced to re-evaluate what to do next.
Unlike many teams, UNC put forth a successful response. Worthy and Company got back to the National Championship in 1982. And this time, Worthy showed up. While everyone remembers the game-winning shot Jordan hit, it was Worthy’s 28 points that put them in the position to win. They beat Georgetown, which was destroying teams on its way to this position. UNC took this one, and Worthy was a major part of the solution.Â
2. Tyler Hansbrough, 2005–2009
Honestly, it might be easier to talk about which records Tyler Hansbrough doesn’t have at North Carolina. He was incredible during his time at Chapel Hill. He currently has the most career points, offensive win shares, defensive win shares, free throws, field goals, and win shares in general. He actually holds the college record for made free throws with 982.Â
He’s a three-time All-American, one of only a few players to accomplish this feat. Speaking of accolades, Hansbrough swept the major awards in 2008. North Carolina recognizes six player of the year awards, and Hansbrough won all of them that season. He put up 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds that year.Â
However, something still evaded Hansbrough’s career to make it complete: a national championship. So he returned for his senior season. Hansbrough might have been a top-three pick if he left after his junior season, but he chose his ultimate goal. And it worked out. Hansbrough’s UNC was dominant during March Madness. They won every game by double-digits, including the National Championship Game against Michigan State, which they won by 17. Hansbrough got to walk to the NBA with his head held high, knowing that he brought a championship to Chapel Hill, establishing his greatness in the college game.Â
1. Michael Jordan, 1981–1984
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, and it started during his run with North Carolina. Of course, it wasn’t as clear and obvious as it was during his time with the Chicago Bulls, but he was still greatness personified. And it started with his first epic moment. In the 1982 National Championship, head coach Dean Smith drew up a play using stars James Worthy and Sam Perkins as distractions while he put the ball in a freshman Jordan’s hands for the game-winning shot. Jordan hit it with 17 seconds left, and the Tar Heels won 63-62 to cut down the nets.Â
Jordan used that momentum to become one of the country’s best players. He was an All-American for the next two seasons before entering the NBA Draft after his junior season. He was voted as the National Player of the Year after his junior season, where he scored 19.6 points per game and added 5.3 rebounds. Ironically, those stats were slightly worse than his sophomore numbers, but that’s how voting worked back then.Â
Funny enough, Jordan majored in cultural geography while at North Carolina because it was close to his desired career as a meteorologist, but we could all forecast that basketball was going to be his future. He was the best player to ever wear this iconic uniform and play for the iconic Dean Smith. In every aspect, Jordan is the GOAT.