UNC Basketball: The 15 Tar Heels opposing fans hated most

Michael Jordan

Any player in the ballpark of Michael Jordan’s caliber that puts on a UNC basketball uniform is likely going to be hated, particularly one that comes into stardom as quickly as he did.

Upon hitting the game-winning shot against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Championship game, Jordan became a household name. He was no longer in the shadow of superstar teammates James Worth and Sam Perkins. Jordan had already put together a terrific freshman season — he was named ACC Rookie of the Year — but set himself apart with that shot.

Over the next two seasons, Jordan averaged nearly 20 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting better than 54 percent and playing over 30 minutes per game. The Tar Heels won no fewer than 28 games in any of Jordan’s three seasons at North Carolina, and had first-place finishes in the ACC regular season all three years.

He won first team All-ACC honors in 1983 and 1984, and was a consensus first team All-American both seasons. He won ACC Player of the Year and National Player of the Year his junior season at North Carolina, which would be his last in a Tar Heels jersey.

Jordan entered the NBA Draft the following summer, and was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls. The rest is, as they say, history, with Jordan becoming what most consider to be the greatest basketball player to ever live over the next decade-plus.

Among his many accolades in the NBA are NBA All-Rookie Team, NBA Rookie of the Year, three-time steals leader, 10-time scoring champion, nine-time All-Defensive first team, 14-time All-Star, three-time All-Star Game MVP, five-time MVP, six-time NBA champion and six-time Finals MVP. He won four gold medals — two at the Olympic Games — and scored over 32,000 points in his professional career. His No. 23 jersey has been retired by the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Chicago Bull and even the Miami Heat, who Jordan never even played for.

In the time since his playing days, Jordan has done a little bit of everything. He’s been the face of the world’s best-selling shoe for decades, the star of a feature film (Space Jam), endorsed a bunch of products, golfed a lot and been a terrible owner of the Charlotte Hornets. He also coined the phrase “The ceiling is the roof”, which took on a life of its own in 2017.

Regardless of his failure as an NBA owner, Jordan’s allure and prestige as a player never dies off. The best players in the NBA will always be compared to him, and kids still grow up wanting to “be like Mike” more than 15 years since his retirement.