There are simply too many North Carolina Tar Heels basketball legends to count, yet none made more of an impact than the GOAT, Michael Jordan.
You can go back to the days of Lennie Rosenbluth, or more recently James Worthy. There’s also the likes of Jerry Stackhouse, big man Rasheed Wallace and Phil Ford. The best big man to ever come through UNC, if you ask me, was Tyler Hansbrough. Then there’s the debate that Armando Bacot belongs in that conversation, in large thanks to his program. double-double and rebound records.
When we’re talking about the best North Carolina team of all-time, the 2009 National Title-winning team is arguably that team. The Tar Heels were led by Hansbrough, who previously held the program’s rebounding record, but also included the likes of future NBA players Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Larry Drew II, Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller.
Earlier in the week, Jacob Turner of Tar Heel Illustrated posed a question on X (formerly Twitter) about which players would have a statue outside of the Dean Dome. And we decided to look at that question.
HYPOTHETICAL Q: Let’s say #UNC builds 4 statues (one for each entrance) outside its new bball arena in the future…
Who should those statues honor?
Feels like Dean and Roy are non-negotiables, but what about the other two?
— Jacob Turner (@JacobTurnerTHI) July 8, 2024
If UNC were to build statues of program greats outside the Dean Dome, there would be too many to count. For the purpose of this article, though, we’re narrowing that list down to four players.
This is simply our choice of the four statues, plus one who just missed the cut. We encourage you all to debate who should be the statues on social media. No answer is right or perfect.
So, who exactly made our cut and who just missed it?
Mar 18, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) handles the ball against Texas A&M Aggies forward DJ Hogg (1) during the second half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
This list could go on forever, but a couple UNC greats who just missed the cut include Joel Berry II and James Worthy.
Mar 1983; Unknown location, USA, FILE PHOTO; North Carolina guard Michael Jordan (23) in action during the 1983 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
One choice we can all agree on for a Dean Dome statue – Michael Jordan.
Where do we even begin? The 1982 National Championship Game sounds like a good place to start, when MJ introduced himself to the world with his game-winning shot. Jordan later ended his collegiate career with ACC Rookie of the Year, Athlete of the Year and Player of the Year awards, multiple National Player of the year awards, as a 2-time First Team All-American and First Team All-ACC.
If you though Jordan was good in college, he was unstoppable in the NBA. Jordan was a perfect 6-for-6 in NBA Finals tries – despite what Armando Bacot says, this stat alone cements Jordan’s GOAT status. Jordan was Finals MVP in all six appearances, a 14-time All-Star, 5-time NBA MVP, 3-time AP Athlete of the Year, NBA Rookie of the Year and – the greatest honor of all – Jordan had his iconic No. 23 jersey retired by both the Chicago Bulls AND Miami Heat (despite never playing for the latter).
Jordan averaged 33.4 points per game in the NBA Playoffs, even more than his 30.1 average in the regular season. This proves that Jordan was one of the best clutch performers – something every team yearns for – of all-time.
Mar 27, 2009; Memphis, TN, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) and Gonzaga Bulldogs forward guard Matt Bouldin (15) fight for the ball in the semifinals of the south region of the 2009 NCAA basketball tournament at the FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Capped his career off by helping North Carolina down Michigan State in the 2009 National Championship game, Tyler Hansbrough embodied everything it meant to be a Tar Heel.
One could even argue that, despite Jordan’s legendary career, Hansbrough was the best player in UNC basketball history.
Hansbrough finished his collegiate career averaging 20.2 points per game. In a basketball world where scoring differed far from today’s 3-point shooting hotbed, Hansbrough’s output was that-much more impressive.
I can’t recall many players grabbing rebounds like Hansbrough could, with Psycho T averaging a collegiate-best 10.2 rebounds per game in 2007-2008. Hansbrough was one of the toughest dudes to don Carolina Blue – remember his bloody nose game?
It’s too bad Hansbrough’s professional career didn’t pan out, as he only saw extended starting action in his second NBA season.
Rightfully so, Hansbrough’s No. 50 jersey is retired in the Dean Dome rafters. Why not add a statue of Psycho T outside?
Mar, 1977; Unknown location, USA; FILE PHOTO; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Phil Ford (12) in action. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons- USA TODAY Sports
It’s difficult to not have 1970’s UNC basketball great Phil Ford as one of your four statues outside the Dean Dome.
Ford played from 1974-1978 at North Carolina, developing a reputation as arguably the greatest point guard to come through Chapel Hill. Ford previously held the Tar Heels’ all-time scoring record (2,290), only for Tyler Hansbrough and Armando Bacot to later break it.
Ford was a 3-time First Team All-American and All-ACC member. His greatest stretch of play came in the 1975 ACC Tournament, when he scored 78 points over 3 games (26.0 PPG) while knocking in 26-of-30 free throws, including a victory over NC State in the championship.
Ford enjoyed an 8-year NBA career, highlighted by his first three seasons, but it didn’t compare to his time in Chapel Hill.
Mar 27, 2022; Philadelphia, PA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels mascot Rameses performs before the finals of the East regional of the men’s college basketball NCAA Tournament against the St. Peters Peacocks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
If we’re talking about the best pure scorer in UNC history, Lennie Rosenbluth takes that title by a wide margin.
Rosenbluth averaged 26.9 points per game, which is the highest mark by a Tar Heel, across his three years in Chapel Hill. His 1957 campaign remains amongst the best individual seasons, highlighted by consecutive 45 and 38-point performances in the ACC Tournament, plus a National Player of the Year honor
Rosenbluth struggled in the 1957 NCAA Tournament, but was North Carolina’s main scoring cog in their undefeated, title-winning season. He only played three seasons in the NBA, a surprise to many who watched him in college.
For a program with its fair share of offensive superstars, Rosenbluth was one of the best. Put a statue of him outside the Dean Dome.
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Publish date : 2024-07-13 09:00:00
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