UNC Tar Heel Basketball History

03/25/2026

Tough Day To Be A Tar Heel. Our thoughts are with Coach Davis and his family today as he considers his future.

02/21/2026

Great pic

Michael Jordan and UNC Coach Dean Smith are seen at a press conference after Jordan announced his availability for the 1984 NBA draft, 5 May 1984,

On this day in 1963, Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York. Before his first birthday, Jordan’s parents moved to Wilmington, where he played three sports at Laney High School and was named to the McDonald’s All-American team.

As a UNC-Chapel Hill freshman, Jordan scored the winning basket in the 1982 NCAA title game. In 1984, he was named College Player of the Year and won the first of two Olympic gold medals (the other was in 1992) with the U.S. men’s basketball team. After his junior year at Carolina, Jordan entered the NBA draft and was picked by the Chicago Bulls.

His high-scoring, high-flying antics quickly made “Air Jordan” an international sports celebrity and marketing marvel. After leading the Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships, Jordan unexpectedly retired in 1993 to pursue a career in baseball. He rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three more NBA titles before retiring again in 1999. After a two-year hiatus, Jordan returned to basketball, playing with the Washington Wizards. He retired for the final time in 2003.
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NO.40738
Photo by Greg Gibson. From the N&O Negative Collection, State Archives of North Carolina. Photo copyrighted by the News and Observer. Illegal to use without express permission from the N&O.

02/21/2026

I've just reached 20K followers! Thank you for continuing support. I could never have made it without each one of you. 🙏🤗🎉

02/21/2026

I got over 1,000 reactions on my posts last week! Thanks everyone for your support! 🎉

02/19/2026

02/15/2026

Watch for The Tar Heels Vol III around June 2026.

02/14/2026

The Tar Heels Vol II - The Perfect Gift

02/08/2026

Fun, fun, fun.

02/06/2026

Sad news. Legendary Tar Heel Mike Cooke passed away on Monday, February 2, in Greensboro. Mike was a star at Mt. Airy before heading to Chapel Hill. Cooke played on Dean Smith's first three teams in 1962, 1963, and 1964. Over the past 50 years, Mike has always been there for anyone working on a UNC basketball project. RIP Mike. A priceless gem.

12/12/2025

Still need a gift for a Tar Heel fan? Ron Smith’s- The Tar Heels - A Comprehensive History of UNC basketball is the perfect gift. Order now and use this link for a 10% discount:

University of North Carolina Tar Heels. A comprehensive history series on the mens basketball program. The 7 volume series covers program origins & details of every season starting with 1911. Vol I, The Early Years,-1911-1961. Vol II- Vol IV The Dean Smith Years, Vol V - 1998-2021 The Roy Williams Y...