Holding Court: For 16th Straight NBA Season, Champion Had NC Connection(s) - Chapelboro.com (2024)

Posted by David Glenn | Jun 26, 2024 | Columns, Holding Court With David Glenn, Sports, Town Square

For 16th Straight NBA Season, Champion Had NC Connection(s)

By David Glenn

When former Duke star Jayson Tatum led Boston to the 2024 National Basketball Association title earlier this month, he won his first NBA championship ring and helped the Celtics to their record 18^th crown.

In the process, Tatum also extended the state of North Carolina’s impressive track record for producing players who go on to become NBA champions, as the NC/NBA championship streak now stands at 16 years in a row (please see complete 1970-2024 list below).

In 2021, for example, the world champion Milwaukee Bucks had three players with North Carolina ties: former UNC forward Justin Jackson, former Wake Forest guard Jeff Teague and veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who played his college ball at Texas but represented Enloe High School in Raleigh at the prep level.

Among the state’s college and high school basketball programs, UNC is primarily responsible for the Tar Heel State’s consistent presence on the NBA title podium.

From 1970-2024, there were 35 instances when a former Carolina player represented an NBA championship team. The next-best in-state college programs on that list during the same lengthy period are Duke (nine), Wake Forest (eight) and Davidson (six).

Thanks in part to multi-time NBA champions and perennial all-stars such as former UNC star Michael Jordan (six NBA rings) and former Davidson star Steph Curry (four) —each played both high school and college basketball in North Carolina —the state has had at least one player on 32 of the league’s last 34 title teams.

The list below also includes many NBA champions, such as Tatum, whose only connection to North Carolina was their college basketball career. Tatum played just a single season (2016-17) for the Blue Devils before entering the league as its #3 overall draft pick.

That college-only list also includes living legends such as five-time NBA champion Tim Duncan (Wake Forest) and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (Winston-Salem State), plus college stars who became NBA role players on multiple championship teams, such as Carolina quartet of Rick Fox, Danny Green, Mitch Kupchak and Scott Williams (three rings each).

Although UNC didn’t have any players on this year’s NBA championship squad, extending the program’s recent “drought” to three years (its longest since 2005-10), five former Tar Heels contributed to the state of North Carolina’s ongoing, 16-year NBA title streak.

Green, who was a key part of UNC’s 2009 NCAA championship team, started every playoff game for the 2014 San Antonio Spurs, the 2019 Toronto Raptors and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers as those teams captured recent NBA titles. James Michael McAdoo was a reserve for the Golden State Warriors when they won it all in 2015 and 2017.

Along with the aforementioned Jackson (2021 Milwaukee Bucks), Brendan Haywood (2011 Dallas Mavericks) and Harrison Barnes (2015 Golden State Warriors) are the Tar Heels’ other most recent NBA champions.

NBA Champions With NC Ties Year—NBA Team, Player, NC Connection
(1970-Present)

• 1970—New York Knicks, none
• 1971—Milwaukee Bucks, none
• 1972—Los Angeles Lakers, F Happy Hairston, Winston-Salem Atkins HS
• 1973—New York Knicks, G Henry Bibby, Franklinton Person-Albion HS; F Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Winston-Salem State (1963-67); F Harthorne Wingo, Tryon HS
• 1974—Boston Celtics, none
• 1975—Golden State Warriors, G Jeff Mullins, Duke (1961-64)
• 1976—Boston Celtics, G Charlie Scott, Laurinburg Institute, UNC (1967-70)
• 1977—Portland Trail Blazers, F Herm Gilliam, Winston-Salem Atkins HS
• 1978—Washington Bullets, F Mitch Kupchak, UNC (1972-76)
• 1979—Seattle SuperSonics, F Tom LaGarde, UNC (1973-77); G Dick Snyder, Davidson (1963-66)
• 1980—Los Angeles Lakers, none
• 1981—Boston Celtics, G M.L. Carr, Teachey Wallace-Rose Hill HS, Guilford (1969-73); F Cedric Maxwell, Kinston HS, Charlotte (1973-77)
• 1982—Los Angeles Lakers, F Mitch Kupchak, UNC (1972-76); F Bob McAdoo, Greensboro Smith HS, UNC (1971-72)
• 1983—Philadelphia 76ers, F Bobby Jones, Charlotte South Mecklenburg HS, UNC (1971-74)
• 1984—Boston Celtics, G M.L. Carr, Teachey Wallace-Rose Hill HS, Guilford (1969-73); F Cedric Maxwell, Kinston HS, Charlotte (1973-77)
• 1985—Los Angeles Lakers, F Mitch Kupchak, UNC (1972-76); F Bob McAdoo, Greensboro Smith HS, UNC (1971-72); C Chuck Nevitt, NC State (1978-82); F James Worthy, Gastonia Ashbrook HS, UNC (1979-82)
• 1986—Boston Celtics, none
• 1987—Los Angeles Lakers, F James Worthy, Gastonia Ashbrook HS, UNC (1979-82)
• 1988—Los Angeles Lakers, F James Worthy, Gastonia Ashbrook HS, UNC (1979-82)
• 1989—Detroit Pistons, none
• 1990—Detroit Pistons, none
• 1991—Chicago Bulls, G Michael Jordan, Wilmington Laney HS, UNC (1981-84); C Scott Williams, UNC (1986-90)
• 1992—Chicago Bulls, G Michael Jordan, Wilmington Laney HS, UNC (1981-84); C Scott Williams, UNC (1986-90)
• 1993—Chicago Bulls, G Michael Jordan, Wilmington Laney HS, UNC (1981-84); C Scott Williams, UNC (1986-90)
• 1994—Houston Rockets, G Kenny Smith, UNC (1983-87)
• 1995—Houston Rockets, F Chucky Brown, Leland North Brunswick HS, NC State (1985-89); F Pete Chilcutt, UNC (1987-91); G Kenny Smith, UNC (1983-87)
• 1996—Chicago Bulls, G Michael Jordan, Wilmington Laney HS, UNC (1981-84)
• 1997—Chicago Bulls, G Michael Jordan, Wilmington Laney HS, UNC (1981-84)
• 1998—Chicago Bulls, G Michael Jordan, Wilmington Laney HS, UNC (1981-84); G Rusty LaRue, Greensboro Northwest Guilford HS, Wake Forest (1992-96)
• 1999—San Antonio Spurs, C Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1993-97); F Brandon Williams, Davidson (1992-96)
• 2000—Los Angeles Lakers, F Rick Fox, UNC (1987-91)
• 2001—Los Angeles Lakers, F Rick Fox, UNC (1987-91)
• 2002—Los Angeles Lakers, F Rick Fox, UNC (1987-91)
• 2003—San Antonio Spurs, C Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1993-97); F Danny Ferry, Duke (1985-89)
• 2004—Detroit Pistons, F Rasheed Wallace, UNC (1993-95)
• 2005—San Antonio Spurs, C Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1993-97)
• 2006—Miami Heat, none
• 2007—San Antonio Spurs, C Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1993-97)
• 2008—Boston Celtics, none
• 2009—Los Angeles Lakers, F Josh Powell, NC State (2001-03)
• 2010—Los Angeles Lakers, F Josh Powell, NC State (2001-03)
• 2011—Dallas Mavericks, C Brendan Haywood, Greensboro Dudley HS, UNC (1997-2001)
• 2012—Miami Heat, F Shane Battier, Duke (1997-2001)
• 2013—Miami Heat, F Shane Battier, Duke (1997-2001)
• 2014—San Antonio Spurs, C Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1993-97); G Danny Green, UNC (2005-09)
• 2015—Golden State Warriors, F Harrison Barnes, UNC (2010-12); G Steph Curry, Charlotte Christian HS, Davidson (2006-09); F James Michael McAdoo, UNC (2011-14)
• 2016—Cleveland Cavaliers, G Kyrie Irving, Duke (2010-11); F Dahntay Jones, Duke (2001-03)
• 2017—Golden State Warriors, G Steph Curry, Charlotte Christian HS, Davidson (2006-09); F James Michael McAdoo, UNC (2011-14); F David West, Garner HS
• 2018—Golden State Warriors, G Quinn Cook, Duke (2011-15); G Steph Curry, Charlotte Christian HS, Davidson (2006-09); F David West, Garner HS
• 2019—Toronto Raptors, G Danny Green, UNC (2005-09)
• 2020—Los Angeles Lakers, F Devontae Caco*k, UNC Wilmington (2015-19); G Quinn Cook, Duke (2011-15); G Danny Green, UNC (2005-09)
• 2021—Milwaukee Bucks, F Justin Jackson, UNC (2014-17); G Jeff Teague, Wake Forest (2007-09); F P.J. Tucker, Raleigh Enloe HS
• 2022—Golden State Warriors, G Steph Curry, Charlotte Christian HS, Davidson (2006-09)
• 2023—Denver Nuggets, G Ish Smith, Concord Central Cabarrus HS, Wake Forest (2006-10)
• 2024—Boston Celtics, F Jayson Tatum, Duke (2016-17)

David Glenn (DavidGlennShow.com,@DavidGlennShow) is an award-winning author, broadcaster, editor, entrepreneur, publisher, speaker, writer and university lecturer (now at UNC Wilmington) who has covered sports in North Carolina since 1987.

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