UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel gets another shot at NBA
A former UNC basketball star is getting another shot at playing in the NBA.
Joel Berry II has been added to the Charlotte Hornets’ Summer League squad as a replacement for injured shooting guard Nate Darling. Although Berry has never been a member of the Hornets’ regular season roster, he is familiar with the organization. He played 34 games for the team’s G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, during the 2019-20 season.
He averaged eight points, 2.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game for the Swarm, while shooting at a 42.5 percent clip from the floor and 32.5 percent from three-point range. His points and assists were down from the prior season when he made 21 appearances for the South Bay Lakers, but his shooting numbers from both inside and outside the arc were better.
Most recently, Berry played for Beşiktaş Basketbol, a Turkish organization that plays in the Basketball Super League (BSL) and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). He helped lead his team to a record of 19-11 last season — good for fourth-place — and an appearance in the playoffs.
Berry, a member of the North Carolina basketball program from 2014 to 2018, will be joining another former Tar Heel, Kenny Williams, on Charlotte’s Summer League roster. Both will be looking to make an impact for the Hornets in the month of August in hopes of landing on an NBA roster in the fall.
Berry is widely considered one of the best point guards in North Carolina history. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds over four years in Chapel Hill. He was an integral member of the Tar Heels’ 2017 national championship team, winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player and scoring a crucial 22 points in the title game against Gonzaga.
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