UNC Basketball: Reggie Bullock’s heroic debut with New York Knicks

Former UNC basketball sharpshooter Reggie Bullock returns from injury, tragedy with emotional performance off the bench

On a night that former New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony’s return to the Big Apple was the central narrative, it was Reggie Bullock’s heroic debut that stole the show at Madison Square Garden.

Anthony shined in his return to New York, scoring a game-high 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting against his former team. His homecoming in a Portland uniform was spoiled, though, as the Knicks took down the slumping Trail Blazers with relative ease, 117-93.

For Bullock, it marked not only a fresh start with his new NBA franchise, but the end of a long road back to the basketball court. The former Tar Heel had been sidelined since last season due to a herniated disk that forced him to get spinal fusion surgery in July. That began a long physical recovery process that was difficult enough, but then Bullock had to endure the murder of his sister in Baltimore in October. That came just five years after the fatal stabbing of his other sister, Mia Henderson, in a West Baltimore alley.

And while Bullock has taken nearly nine months away from the basketball court, he’s taken no time off from his outspoken support and advocacy for the LGBTQ community, an effort that has not gone unnoticed by his peers and colleagues. “There’s love in everyone’s heart and you should just try to learn about a community before you try to downplay them,” Bullock told Vice Sports in January 2019.

Back on the basketball court Wednesday, it was Bullock’s performance off the bench — his first since April 2 as a member of the Lakers — that left an impact both on the night, and the final score. After everything that Bullock has gone through in his personal life, his professionalism looked unscathed.

The Kinston, North Carolina native checked into the game at the 3:52 mark of the first quarter. It was briefly after that he connected on his first shot of the game, a jumper from the top of the key. He nailed a three-pointer shortly after, and that would be followed by two more makes from long-range. Bullock gave the Knicks 15 minutes off the bench in his return, scoring 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

“It’s just great to be back out there seeing the ball go through the hoop and playing out there with my teammates,” Bullock told the Associated Press in a post game interview. “I signed here for a reason, and I knew what the guys that we signed were capable of doing. I’m glad to be out there playing with them.”

With any luck at all, the seven-year NBA veteran’s toughest days are behind him. Now with a healthy back, and an organization that appreciates his ability to spread the floor and knock down shots from long-range, Bullock’s best years could still be on the horizon.