While his regular season numbers are nothing to gloss over, he did his best work in the playoffs. For all you youngsters out there who know Kenny Smith as the guy who comes on the halftime and post game show on TNT with Charles Barkley and Shaq, let me just tell you Kenny could hoop. BRANDON INGRAM STANDS at his locker after the Lakers' 2017-18 season-opening blowout loss to the Clippers at Staples Center, measuring Kinston's progress in small steps. Few programs have been more successful or produced more NBA players than the University of Carolina men's basketball team. Billy Cunningham. 10 for all 50 states is pretty good. He was simply a hustler, and if there was someone diving to the floor for a loose ball, it was likely Bobby Jones. You got all these other bigger towns around here, bigger cities and they couldn't touch Kinston! The morning after the mission is complete, ReVelle returns to his small apartment in Ohio, aiming to write a letter to his parents, explaining why they hadn't heard from him recently. Two years later, he would post the only 30-20 game in Mavericks history, with 31 points and 20 rebounds. Former North Carolina Players Currently In The NBA * NBA stats from the 2022-2023 season. HOLLOWAY RECREATION CENTER rises from Kinston's east side, a squat, redbrick gym where toddlers dribble in diapers and almost every local standout honed their game. When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The New York Knicks have selected nine former Tar Heels, which is the most of any current NBA franchise. He shares story after story about what was and what is. The Greatest NBA Centers of All Time. The Jet would had a fantastic three years with the Kings, when briefly to Atlanta and then made Houston his home where he and Hakeem Olajuwon would win back to back titles in 1994 and 1995. The town boasts 10 gyms, countless playground parks, more than 60 youth teams, innumerable church leagues, industrial leagues and rec leagues, and endless pickup games that on any given night feature homegrown NBA stars, NCAA All-Americans or old-heads pushing 60 who just won't quit. They find a parachute suspending one of them in a trio of gum trees, its arm/safe switch in the safe position. In his first season, McAdoo won Rookie of the Year honors. An event to honor Whitfield just ended. The Doo averaged 34.5 points and 14.1 rebounds that season. Sellouts were rare. In the history of the NBA draft, UNC has produced a total of two #1 overall picks and 52 first-round draft picks. The title eluded him, however, and a former Tar Heel teammate had a little to do with that. "He was telling me, they had a weekend and they had a vehicle chase and the guy they were chasing, he ends up going down the wrong way on Highway 70 into oncoming traffic," Ronnie Ingram says. And along the way, Kinston kept churning out another high-quality export: basketball players. Long before Kenny Smith was one of the premier voices of the basketball, long before he was a two-time NBA Champion, the Jet was a Tar Heel. What does make Kinston unique is that this town of some 21,000 residents is most surely, per capita, the greatest producer of NBA players in America. He was named to the 1983 All-Rookie First Team, and went on to play in seven All-Star games during his career. According to data from the Census Bureau, Kinston's poverty level (32.8 percent) is 110 percent higher than the national average, and its unemployment rate is 70 percent higher than the national average. One month earlier, the Lakers selected the 18-year-old Kinston native at No. $11,664,950. Jones was a menace on defense. "We were exposed to more violence, more gunshots that you'd hear at night," Donald says. About 3 out of every 10,000 high school basketball players go on to play in the NBA. Unsurprisingly, MJs jersey hangs among the retired numbers at the Dean Smith Center, As a pro, well, you know the rest. Jamison is one of only five active players with 16,000 points and 6,000 rebounds. And it was his heroic scoring and iconic dunk over Patrick Ewing that helped UNC defeat Georgetown in the championship game. It could have killed every human in the open within a diameter of 17 miles. Learn more and register here. Smith is something of an icon, famously saying lets go home, ladies and gentlemen in response to former Tar Heel Vince Carter and his explosive performance at the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest. His family is safe, as are many friends, but he knows that the town is being evacuated, that the forecast has called for its worst flood ever. This is what Jordan wrote in his book, For the Love of the Game: My Story: There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don't believe there is only one greatest player either. "And the sweetest tea in America," boasts the 60-year-old two-time NBA champion. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. As the town's population dwindled, the school dropped to Class 3A, then 2A. pic.twitter.com/fKNGOeojO2. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. "I really don't." Even when Brandon Ingram's teams won four consecutive state titles, the stands had plenty of empty seats. One month earlier, the Lakers selected the 18-year-old Kinston native at No. Please check your email for a confirmation. 322 votes. Do you have a sports website? Lets not forget that Green is a three-time NBA champion, each time lending important three and D support off the bench. Alabama (93) Alaska (2) Arizona (19) Arkansas (57) California (432) Colorado (20) Connecticut (37) Delaware (11) District of Columbia (76) Florida (126) James Worthy was the first overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team that season. Over the course of his career he averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/lists/2-sixers-ranked-among-best-nba-players-to-come-out-of-north-carolina/, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. College player of year at North Carolina in 1984; six NBA titles with Chicago Bulls; member of '84 and '92 U.S. Olympic gold-medal-winning teams. He made two Final Fours, and won the National Title in 2009 while going 124-22 in his career. Lets jump and and assess who are the top former UNC players in NBA history. But some things haven't changed in the two years since he's been gone. Whitfield looks around, the area so quiet you can hear the cicadas sing. Stats: 12.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 48.0 FG%, 39.9 3PT%. It's his ritual every day when he's back home visiting his mother. A ranking of the 2025 Best NFL Basketball Players in North Carolina. It's like I told him, 'Son, you have to understand. 6 players found. 2 in the draft, and now they're introducing him at their El Segundo, California, training facility. He chose to return to North Carolina for his senior year and was later drafted by the Chicago Packers with the 11th pick in the 2nd round of the 1961 NBA Draft. It wasn't his only love. After three years at the University of North Carolina, Carter was drafted by the Toronto Raptors. UNC players sorry for feting Duke win sans masks. Smith ended his career with the Denver Nuggets in 1996 with an average of 12.8 points and 5.5 assists in the NBA. Tyndall continues down the hall, through the double doors, and now, nearly a month after Antonio Hines' murder, the coach stands near midcourt in Kinston High's well-lit but empty gym, a decades-old bunkerlike concrete box. Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg (CIS-Charlotte), in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) and the corporate community, is launching a new initiative designed to combat chronic absenteeism and boost student attendance. Worthy was named the Final Fours Most Outstanding Player that year after posting 28 points in the title game against Georgetown. "At the end of the day, like I tell our kids, 'I want you to grow old because you deserve to live a productive life of not being wrapped up in substance abuse and not being incarcerated and not losing your life at a [young] age. His speed and athleticism helped him compete alongside the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Here is my list of top 10 NBA players from North Carolina. The town's officials will estimate that it will take years to recover. "That was our proving ground," says ex-NBA star Jerry Stackhouse, another Kinston product, who as a teenager faced a much older sharpshooter named Donald Ingram. Michael Jeffrey Jordan out of Wilmington, North Carolina had a four year career with UNC, in which he cemented one of the most impressive eras at North Carolina. He figures he has seen about 10,000 players pass through Holloway's doors, and if they kept them open until 3 a.m., he says, there'd still be action on the court. Raymond Felton has had some tough luck in the NBAstarting with being drafted fifth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. Few programs have been more successful or produced more NBA players than the University of Carolina mens basketball team. Stats: 22.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 50.3 FG%. And indeed, as he fears, the very next night the Neuse crests at 28.31 feet, surpassing the record of 27.71 feet set by Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Buffalo Braves, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. One holds the undisputed title of the "Greatest Player Ever.". "I love coaching basketball, and to be honest -- and this is not what my county office would want to hear -- if I couldn't coach basketball, I don't know if I would stay," Tyndall says. Brad Daugherty was the first overall selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1986 and would earn NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. Over 19 seasons, Perkins appeared in 15 playoffs. Worthy was drafted by the Lakers in 1982, and was an immediate success. The Tar Heels are one of the more storied programs in college basketball as they have had some terrific players come out and make the NBA, most notably Michael Jordan. ! That's where 'Sheed would put up some of his best numbers. Antawn Jamison was picked fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors, but would immediately be traded to the Golden State Warriors for the rights to fellow Tar Heel Vince Carter. The University of North Carolina has been a breeding ground for NBA talent for generatons, including Chapel Hill's most famous alumni, Michael Jordan. Stacy Kranitz for ESPN. Before putting together a pretty damn good NBA career, Green played all four seasons in Chapel Hill and he averaged 9.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from deep with the Tar Heels. And so, in the days after the flood, Ronnie Ingram patrols the streets in a Humvee, surveying the damage. He was a three-time first team All-American, and was named the National Player of the Year in 2008. The photos prove it. Draft Info. Whitfield, 12 then, watched from the stands and remembers a new dream forged for young boys here: to play for the Red Devils. Bobby Jones' best statistical season was in 1976-77 with Denver, when he averaged 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 steals, 2.0 blocks and a field-goal percentage of 57.0. The Tar Heels have won seven National Titles and are back in the NCAA Tournament looking for their eighth as an 8 seed coming into this years big dance. He played in the finals with the Lakers in 1991 and with the SuperSonics in 1996both times losing to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Also gone: the Magic Mile. She was a single mother, unable to work since 2007 because of multiple sclerosis, with her spine leaking fluid, blurring her vision, causing headaches, leaving her unable to balance. 5 Michael Jordan. He whiled away many summer afternoons in similar fashion, playing music or basketball with friends, and he believed this day to be like all those that came before it. Eighth in steals. UCLA. Billy did it all. NBA 2K23 Play Now. Vince Carter, Sam Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse, and Antawn Jamison all hail from UNC, which had its best success with creating NBA players in the '80s and '90s. His most rewarding season came in 2004 with the Larry Brown-coached Detroit Pistons. Stats: 11.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 45.9 FG%, 36.2 3PT%. He's part of an NBA that is more flush with cash than ever. Operation Chrome Dome, a Cold War-era program, was designed to keep nuclear-armed American B-52s airborne at all times, ready to strike the Soviets at a moment's notice. She regrets ever moving here. Jerry Stackhouse was picked right before Rasheed Wallace as the third overall selection in 1995. John Wall. Its Vernon Park Mall has 61 retail spaces, but Mark Pope, Lenoir County's economic development executive director, reports that, as of this summer, only one is occupied: Belk, a North Carolina-based department store. Six-time NBA Finals MVP: 1991-93, 1996-98, Five-time NBA Most Valuable Player: 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 10-time scoring champion: 1987-93, 199698, Three-time steals leader: 1988, 1990, 1993, 14-time NBA All-Star: 1985-93, 199698, 2002-03, Three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 1988, 1996, 1998, One-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1987-88, 11-time All-NBA selection: 1985, 1987-93, 1996-98, Nine-time All-Defensive selection: 1988-93, 1996-98, Two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion: 1987, 1988. He also tied an NBA record in 1997, hitting eight consecutive threes without a miss. "He jumps out and he runs onto the overpass, and my son says he's yelling, 'I'm going to jump! The spark to ignite all-out nuclear hellfire pierces through a moonlit sky in the early minutes of Jan. 24, 1961. Bouncing from losing team to losing team throughout his career, he finally landed on the Lakers in 1981. By August 1940, Kinston billed itself the "world's foremost tobacco center" and boasted four sets of buyers, nine factories and nine warehouses. From March 1 through June 8, in the months after he led North Carolina to the national championship game, he made a $21,000 profit selling T-shirts capitalizing on his name, image and likeness. #23 of 165. Stats: 14.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 46.7 FG%, 33.6 3PT%. Jamison never got over the hump in the NBA, but he certainly made a lasting impact. Former North Carolina Players Currently Playing Professionally * Stats from the 2022-2023 season. These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. Walter Davis was the fifth overall selection by the Phoenix Suns in 1977. So hundreds have gathered here, where disaster will unfold again. The North Carolina landed with UNC. But around that same time, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the local economy began to wither. Few players have enjoyed so much success in the Association, a testament to his UNC roots. Some don't quit until they flatline right there on the court; it has happened often enough to form something of a tradition. because he wants them to know that basketball isn't forever. Stackhouse scored a career-high 57 points against the Bulls that season. "I don't know what the solution is," Ronnie says. That player was Antonio Hines. "There's a lot of kids that are great players that don't make the team here," he says. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. His best statistical season came in 1989-90, when he averaged 21.1 points per game, six rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and a field-goal percentage of 54.8. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Forgot password? Branham has put together a tremendous stretch with the Spurs and is coming off his best month of the season. Locals who were alive back then say you could smell it as soon as you entered Kinston's main drag along Queen Street. Then he tells a story about his 30-year-old son, Brandon Ingram's cousin Jamie, a police officer in Kinston. The official site of the National Basketball Association. He smiles. Ronnie Ingram recalls the turning point. "There ain't no jobs," says Bullock, who starred for KHS, then UNC, was drafted in the NBA's first round in 2013 and is now a Detroit Pistons guard. Jamison in particular is severely underrated. And every few years, as a return for its survival, the good Lord will deliver unto them yet another NBA talent, yet another favored son. During the 1998 draft, Carter was selected fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors. 2Y; . His stunning hops earned him the nickname "Kangaroo Kid.". After an impressive rookie campaign, Perkins earned a selection to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He earned the ABA Rookie of the Year honors in 1971. Data Provided By He was tired of hearing about his peers getting in trouble and getting killed. Before both World Wars and a generation before the NBA came to be. James Worthy is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a three-time NBA champion and was one of the three Tar Heels named to the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History. No. Dick Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images. Stats shown are for the player's NBA & ABA or WNBA career. It doesn't take a rocket scientistor even a Tar Heel fanto know who is ranked at the top. Can hear the cicadas sing NBA * NBA stats from the 2022-2023 season Association a. On your browser, mostly in the two years later, he landed..., however, and now they 're introducing him at their El Segundo,,! 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