Keeping It Heel
Fansided

North Carolina Basketball: 10 players the rivals loved to hate the most

By Joey Loose

Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 4, 2009; Detroit, MI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard/forward Danny Green (right) celebrates a made three point basket with guard Ty Lawson (5) during the second half of the semifinals of the Final Four in the 2009 NCAA mens basketball tournament against the Villanova Wildcats at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2009; Detroit, MI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard/forward Danny Green (right) celebrates a made three point basket with guard Ty Lawson (5) during the second half of the semifinals of the Final Four in the 2009 NCAA mens basketball tournament against the Villanova Wildcats at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Danny Green

A four-star recruit back in 2005, Danny Green was a native of New York who made his way to North Carolina and paved his own path in Tar Heels history.

Green watched Roy Williams lead this program to a national title before his arrival and was part of another run during his senior year, ending his collegiate career on the ultimate high note. He came off the bench for the first three seasons of his career but made plenty of waves when he was on the court.

There’s a major reason why he’s on this list: he’s remembered for a huge dunk over Greg Paulus and Duke back in 2008. He was a great defensive player and earned All-ACC honors as a senior and certainly grew into one of those Tar Heels that you loved to hate. He had an 18-point, 8-rebound, 7-block performance against the Blue Devils on that day and finished his career 6-2 against the bitter rivals.

That dunk remains a replayed clip some fifteen years later and Green remains just as bitter about the rivalry. He was outspoken when the Tar Heels knocked Duke out of the Final Four last year and has remained that kind of personality in the NBA.

He was a late draft pick in 2019 and has bounced around in his career, but he’s won three NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers and is still active in the league, earning plenty of hate by various NBA franchises in the process.

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