Basketball

UNC Legends Unite: Vince Carter & Michael Jordan Share a Heartfelt Embrace at Hall of Fame Induction!

Nero Scofield

Carter is the 14th Tar Heel inducted into the Hall of Fame.

North Carolina basketball icons Vince Carter and the late Walter Davis were officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend. Before the ceremony, Carter met up with fellow Tar Heel legend Michael Jordan, and the two shared a touching embrace. “Congratulations, man,” Jordan told Carter.

With this induction, Carter and Davis become the 13th and 14th former Tar Heels to enter the Hall of Fame, placing North Carolina second all-time behind Kansas, which has 20 inductees. This also marks the tenth player from Dean Smith’s coaching legacy to be honored in the Hall, the highest number for any college basketball coach.

“I hold this honor in high regard,” Carter said during his induction speech. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that you (the voters) have bestowed upon me a distinction not many players ever receive. Now, I’m walking through the same doors as the icons of the game, and it’s thanks to you that I have this opportunity.”

Carter made a significant impact as a player for the Tar Heels from 1995 to 1998, earning All-ACC honors in 1997 and 1998, and achieving consensus first-team All-American status in his junior year. He retired from the NBA in 2020 after a record-setting 22 seasons, becoming the first player to compete across four different decades. His 1,541 games played ranks him third all-time, trailing only Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Additionally, with 25,728 career points, he is 19th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, second only to Jordan among former Tar Heels.

“I appreciate the cheers and the boos,” Carter remarked. “Both have fueled my drive to last 22 years in the league. I never took it personally; I understand the passion fans have for their teams. It’s truly been an honor to entertain you in arenas.”

Both Carter and Davis were coached by Hall of Famer Dean Smith, were Olympic gold medalists (Davis in 1976 and Carter in 2000), and each won NBA Rookie of the Year (Davis in 1978 and Carter in 1999). Together, they have made 14 NBA All-Star appearances (eight for Carter and six for Davis) and earned four All-NBA selections (two each).

“Vince is one of the most athletically gifted players we’ve had at Carolina,” said Phil Ford, a Carolina legend. “He had size, length, and the ability to leap incredibly high, but he also developed into a talented outside shooter. When he arrived at UNC, he dedicated himself to improving every aspect of his game. He embraced coaching and became our best defensive player and a well-rounded player by his junior year. He had offers from any school but chose to play for Coach Smith to fully develop his skills.”

“He had that ‘wow’ factor. There were moments when Ed (Cota) would throw a lob that I thought would go out of bounds, but Vince would leap up, grab it, and either lay it in or dunk it. Time and again, I found myself thinking, ‘That was really impressive.'”

Carolina boasts 14 Naismith Hall of Famers, including Carter, Davis, Ben Carnevale (inducted in 1970), Frank McGuire (1977), Smith (1983), Billy Cunningham (1986), Bob McAdoo (2000), Larry Brown (2002), James Worthy (2003), Roy Williams (2007), Michael Jordan (2009), Charlie Scott (2018), Bobby Jones (2019), and George Karl (2022).

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