NBA Players That Went To North Carolina

Cole Anthony is a North Carolina players in the NBA. Anthony plays for Orlando Magic, he is a six feet three inches tall individual playing in the point guard position. 

While playing for Oak Hill Academy, he was named a five-star recruit and earned USA Today All-USA first-team honors and MVP. He also represented the US in the FIBA Americans U18 championship held in Canada. Anthony secured a gold medal in the competition. 

Anthony was a five-star recruit, he joined North Carolina over other top offers that came to him. ESPN ranked him the second-best player of Carolina’s 2019 batch. 

Cole was also named ACC player and the Freshman of the Week in the NC. In the NBA draft, he was selected by Orlando Magic as the 15th pick in the 2020 draft. 

Harrison Barnes is among UNC players in the NBA, he is playing for Sacramento Kings. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the 2012 draft.

Barnes also won the NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015. Before joining National League and UNC, he had outperformed his peers in his high school career by scoring 1, 787 points. 

In 2010, he was named co-MVP alongside Kyrie Irving in the Jordan Brand Classic. He also won the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award which is given to the nation’s top player. 

After joining Tar Heels, he three seasons with the college where he played against and defeated the likes of Virginia Tech, Long Beach State University, and many more. 

In NBA, he became one of the valuable sixth men for the Warriors. Till now, he has secured 11, 796 points. 

Reggie Bullock is a North Carolina NBA player currently playing for San Antonio Spurs, he plays in the position of small forward and shooting guard. 

Bullock attended the University of North Carolina in January 2008 after an exemplary accomplishment in his high school basketball. Reggie played over 100 games where he averaged 9.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. 

Los Angeles Clippers picked him in the 2013 NBA draft. He was the 25th overall pick. He also played at the Summer League in the same year. 

Besides the Clippers, he played for Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Lakers, Knicks, Mavericks, and Spurs. Among them, his longest stint was with Detroit Pistons. 

Throughout his basketball tenure, he has scored 3, 943 baskets over 294 appearances. Reggie has averaged 7.7 points per game. 

Cameron Johnson is a graduate NBA players from UNC who is currently playing with Brooklyn Nets. He was drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves in 2019. 

However, he was traded to Phoenix Suns in the same year. Johnson has played with the Suns for nearly five years. He went to the 2021 NBA finals with the Suns, where they were defeated by Milwaukee Bucks. 

He signed with Pittsburg College but suffered a shoulder injury and used transfer the rule to move to North Carolina. 

His best performance came in the second season where he shot 50.6 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from three. He was named to the All-ACC first team. 

Sun’s 2021 finals were led by Johnson’s instrumental contribution in the same season. In his four-year career, he has secured 2, 549 points averaging 11.3 points per game. 

Walker Kessler NC players in the NBA. He played for Tar Heels in the 2020-2021 season and transferred to Auburn. At present, Kessler is playing for Utah Jazz. 

In retrospect, he was a five-star recruit who became one of the top high school centers. After joining N. Carolina, he registered 16 points, 8 blocks, and 12 rebounds. 

Also, transferring to Auburn gave him an opportunity to shine in the 2021-2022 season, where Kessler was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and member of the All-SEC First Team. 

In the 2023 NBA draft, the 21-year-old was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies and traded to Minnesota Wolves. Later, he was picked up by Jazz along with four other future prospects. 

He was announced as a finalist for the “NBA Rookie of the Year Award” He concluded the season with a career-high 20 points and 21 rebounds. 

Nassir Little is a 23 year old athlete who played for Tar Heels and currently plays professional ball in NBA with Portland Trail Blazers. 

Little graduated from Oakleaf high school Florida. He was declared MVP in McDonald’s All-American Game in 2018. He is the only player besides the highest-paid athlete, Lebron James to win MVP honors in both high school All-American games. 

He secured victory over Wofford Terriers, Virginia Tech, and other top colleges. He secured 23-6-3 in terms of points, rebounds, and assists respectively. 

In 2019, he became the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft thus Little was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. He signed a $28 million contract with the possibility of an extension for four years in 2022. 

Day’Ron Sharpe is the NC Tar Heels graduate playing for Brooklyn Nets. Sharpe is a 6ft 9 inches power forward who was the 29th pick in the NBA drafted by Phoenix Suns. 

He is a native of NC, he was born in Greenville and graduated from the South Central High School. He was a five-star recruit and no. 5 center in the class of 2020. 

Day’Ron secured a double-double in his debut game thus he was the fourth player to do so at North Carolina University. However, after only playing for a year, he declared for the 2021 draft. 

The Suns traded Sharpe for Jevon Carter. He played for the Nets in their game against the Bulls where he made 10 shots out of 14 shots and scored 20 points and recorded 7 rebounds. 

Coby White is an NC college player who is starting player for Chicago Bulls. He was also named NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020. 

During his time with the Division I college, he scored 3,573 points making him the all-time leading scorer in NC’s history thus he also surpassed the previous record of JamesOn Curry. 

White also played for the 2018 FIBA Under-18 America’s Championship in Canada, earning a gold medal and becoming a top scorer of the game. 

Coby also became the first player from NC to be drafted in the first round beside Michael Jordan in the 2019 NBA draft. In his short basketball stint, he has already amassed 3, 387 points nearing surpassing his college record. 

Tony Bradley was in the class of the 2017 NCAA championship team of North Carolina where he averaged 7.5 points per game and served as substitute for Kennedy Meeks. 

After Heels’s championship, he announced for NBA 2017 where he was drafted by Los Angeles Lakers and traded to Utah Jazz. The 6’10 center was traded to multiple clubs including the 76ers, Thunder, and finally at Bulls. 

However, he was also waived by the Bulls in February 2023. He has appeared in a total of 179 games, where he averaged 4.4 points securing a total of 792 points. 

Till now, Tony’s highlight has been his 2017 NCAA accomplishment with the Tar Heels. 

Ed Davis is among the UNC players in the NBA, he was drafted in the 2010 NBA draft by Toronto Raptors. Davis is also the son of former NBA center Terry Davis. 

Ed was a five-star recruit and the number 15 player in the nation in 2008. He became a pertinent player for the team to win the NCAA championship against Michigan State. 

He had the longest stint with the Raptors where he secured 11 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. He also achieved career-high points against New York Knicks in 2013. 

Moreover, after three years of his draft, he tried on different teams such as Grizzlies, Lakers, Blazers, Nets, Jazz, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers. In 2015, he signed a $20 million contract with Blazers but was ruled out injured in the 2016-2017 season.