The long and storied history of North Carolina basketball includes some of the greatest players in college and NBA history. But only five can appear on an all-time starting lineup.
Appearing on SHOWTIME’s All The Smoke, former UNC star turned NBA analyst Kenny Smith revealed his all-time UNC starting five. Naturally, a few names everyone recognizes made the cut.
For his starting guards, Smith chose Phil Ford and Michael Jordan. His forwards were Rasheed Wallace and James Worthy. Finally, he picked Brad Daugherty as his center.
All five of them rank among the best in UNC history in major statistical categories. Jordan and Worthy played a huge role in delivering Dean Smith’s first national title.
But as with any starting five, Kenny Smith’s is taking some criticism from other UNC fans. Some of the comments have fans advocating for Tyler Hansbrough or Antawn Jamison over Rasheed Wallace and Daugherty.
There certainly is a strong case to be made to add Hansbrough or Jamison to the list. Hansbrough is UNC’s all-time leading scorer while Jamison had one of the best seasons in UNC history in the 1994-95 season.
But Wallace and Daugherty are legends in their own right. They both earned All-American and All-ACC honors for their best seasons and rank among the best in UNC history.
Who would you include in your all-time UNC starting five?