Getty Images
I think that most people can agree that March Madness is arguably the best time of the year for sports fans, even for people like myself who went to a college that doesn’t have a good or historic basketball program. Although we’re still about a month away from all the madness going down, it’s still always fun to get into heated discussions at the barbershop or local pub as to who is the best player to ever play for a certain team. No better way to bring people together than by screaming at one another over sports, only in America, baby.
Anyways, we’re going to rank the best Tar Heel players in the history of the UNC program, and there are a lot to choose from. If you’re a Duke fan, you probably won’t read this, which I completely understand, but if you’d at least give this article a click to draw up page views, I’d be forever grateful.
Since there are so many Tar Heel players to choose from, I had a pretty tough time narrowing it down to just five so if I left anyone off the list you feel should have been included, feel free to send me a bunch of hate mail, won’t be the first time. So without further ado, here are the five best players to ever suit ’em up for the Carolina Blue and White:
5. Antawn Jamison (1996-98)
Born: Shreveport, Louisiana
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 235 lbs
Getty Images
Fun fact, I used to be a big Jamison fan when he was on the Wizards back in the mid-2000s. Sorry to get off track. Back when he was being recruited in 1995 by UNC, Jamison wasn’t Carolina’s most prized recruit at the time, that title belonged to Mr. Air Canada himself, Vince Carter, but Jamison made a big splash during his three-year tenure at Chapel Hill. He averaged 15.1 points a game during his freshman year, and then helped lead UNC to two straight Final Four appearances during his sophomore and junior seasons. During his junior season, he was awarded the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the nation’s most outstanding men’s college basketball player, and would eventually go on to have his #33 jersey retired by UNC.
Career Stats: 19.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 0.9 APG
4. James Worthy (1980-82)
Born: Gastonia, North Carolina
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 225 lbs
Getty Images
Before he was an NBA Hall of Famer, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, the winner of three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and had the honor of his #42 jersey retired by the team, “Big Game James” was one of the best players to ever to don a Tar Heel jersey. After strong freshman and sophomore seasons, Worthy had his best year for UNC during his junior season in 1982, where he was the leading scorer with an average of 15.6 points a game. He was well on his way to leading UNC to a National Championship title, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the entire tournament. Worthy would eventually have his #52 jersey retired by North Carolina, making him one of only eight players to have that honor.
Career Stats: 14.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.5 APG
3. Tyler Hansbrough (2006-09)
Born: Columbia, Missouri
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 250 lbs
Getty Images
Hansbrough may not have been the best player in UNC history, but he sure as hell had the best nickname. “Psycho T” was the only player in ACC history to be named a First Team All-American as a freshman, and he proceeded to be named a First Team All-American and First Team All-ACC during his four years at school, the only player in history to do so. Hansbrough closed out his Tar Heel career by winning the 2009 National Title and went on to have his #50 jersey retired by the school.
Career Stats: 20.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.1 APG
2. Phil Ford (1975-78)
Born: Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 175 lbs
Getty Images
Although he’s the only player on our list that didn’t win a National Championship during his time at North Carolina, Ford was still one of the most dynamic players in college basketball history. While at Carolina, Ford was a two-time consensus First Team All-American, a starter on the 1976 USA Olympic team that won the gold medal, a John R. Wooden Award winner, ACC Player of the year, and the school’s all-time leading scorer by the time he left after his four years as a Tar Heel. Not to mention, the school retired his #12 jersey. Not a bad career for someone that never won a championship.
Career Stats: 18.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 6.1 APG
1. Michael Jordan (1982-84)
Born: Brooklyn, New York
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 195 lbs
Getty Images
I mean, did you really expect anyone else to be at the top of the list? Yes, everyone knows that Michael Jeffery Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time, mostly because of the career he had in the NBA, but MJ was a damn good player in college as well. During his freshman season, he was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, and on his way to winning a National Title in a game where he hit the winning shot… As a freshman for God’s sake. He was named a First Team All-American during his sophomore and junior seasons and won the Naismith and Wooden Awards during his junior season. As expected, the Tar Heels retired his #23 jersey.
Career Stats: 17.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 APG