Did Theo Pinson almost miss his chance to play for UNC Basketball?!

On the newest episode of his podcast, Run Your Race, former UNC basketball standout Theo Pinson told a crazy story that Tar Heel fans will want to hear.

In sports (and in life itself), there are always the “what ifs” that come about in certain situations.

For college sports fans, the topic of “what if a certain player went to this particular school,” is one that drives conversations between those passionate about the sport or team.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Run Your Race, former UNC basketball standout Theo Pinson told a crazy story that will shock some Tar Heels fans for sure.

As we already know, the recruiting Class of 2014 was a very memorable one for North Carolina. The three-player class, featuring Pinson, Joel Berry, and Justin Jackson, played major roles in leading the program to consecutive national championship contests. The trio came away with a national title, as they’ll go down in the UNC basketball history books.

However, this trio almost wasn’t together, as Pinson was almost the odd-man out. Here’s what Pinson had to say on the matter.

"“I don’t know how I found out, but somehow, somebody told me D’Angelo Russell was about to commit to Carolina. There was one scholarship left and I knew he was about to take it, and then I was like, ‘you know what, I’m about to do it’.”"

Yes, former Ohio State standout and current NBA player D’Angelo Russell almost committed to the University of North Carolina.

Pinson heard rumblings about Russell, one of the top-20 players in the Class of 2014, potentially committing to the program. Knowing that Roy Williams and his staff only had one available scholarship remaining, the former Tar Heel wasted no time claiming his spot in Chapel Hill.

Now, you may be thinking that this story is a little far-fetched. However, Russell confirmed the story, replying “lol that’s a fact” under Pinson’s Instagram post of the podcast conversation about the topic. He also told the former Tar Heel that he wants to get on the podcast at some point, so maybe there will be more talk about this in the near future.

Russell went on to commit to the Buckeyes, where he was a consensus All-American during his lone collegiate season.

Pinson went on to develop as a valuable four-year player for North Carolina, and still to this day is a fan favorite among Tar Heel nation.

I think it’s safe to say that Pinson’s decision worked out nicely for both sides.

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