UNC Basketball: Top 4 players in Tar Heel history

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CHAPEL HILL, NC – MARCH 04: Michael Jordan speaks to the crowd at halftime during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Dean Smith Center on March 4, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

1. Michael Jordan

When your basketball program can claim that the best player to ever play in their program, is also the best player to ever touch a basketball. Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. The guard played his entire three-year career at North Carolina for Dean Smith. His teammate James Worthy along with Sam Perkins help form the most successful trio in North Carolina history. Winning a national title, as well as playing in two final fours.

Throughout his career, Jordan was good at one thing in particular. That thing was winning and making his mark on the game while said winning. Every night the guard was the best player on the floor and his numbers showed that. The guard had a unique way of playing the game and scoring. He flew with grace for thunderous dunks. He had a vicious crossover that would embarrass the opponent. After the crossover, he would pull up for a jumper, hit a three-point basket or drive the lane for an easy lay-in.

Jordan had a knack for playing the game with style and with swagger before anyone knew what “swagger” was. After his illustrious college career that saw the guard average 17.7 points per game to go along with 5 rebounds. The awards his last season in college started to mount up. Jordan was named the Player of the Year by all the major publications. The rest is history, his logo from his signature shoe is plastered everywhere, including the court in Chapel Hill.

After his college career was over he went on to win 7 titles with the Chicago Bulls and lead the NBA in virtually every offensive category every year. In one of the most surprising upsets of our time Sam Bowie, not Jordan was the overall number one pick in the draft.

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A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Jordan is one of the top-5 greatest players to ever step foot on a basketball court. A player with that pedigree is the greatest player to play for the storied Tarheel program. The rest is history, his logo from his signature shoe is plastered everywhere, including the court in Chapel Hill.

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