A handful of UNC basketball alumni will start their season on G League rosters

The NBA season has tipped off, and some former Tar Heels are on the outside looking in. 

Armando Bacot, Leaky Black, and Nassir Little are among the former UNC basketball standouts who start this season in the G League. Harrison Ingram (two-way contract), Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance, and Sterling Manley are the other Tar Heels in the G League.

Bacot, Black and Little will look to stuff the stat sheets and stand out in the G League, while fighting for NBA contracts. But what situation does each Tar Heel alum find themselves in?

Armando Bacot, C — Memphis Hustle

Bacot was recently named to the Memphis Hustle roster, the Memphis Grizzlies’ G League team. As Bacot did in Chapel Hill, he’ll be manning the middle at center. For a while, it looked like Bacot might actually make the Grizzlies roster, as he lasted until the final roster cut on Oct. 19.

Now, Bacot will battle it out in the G League, trying to showcase his rebounding abilities, interior presence and stout post defense. The big man has been a fierce competitor his entire career.

As the Tar Heels’ all-time leading rebounder, who also has the most double-doubles in school history, second-most points in school history, tied for the most double-doubles in ACC history and tied for the most consecutive NCAA March Madness double-doubles, Bacot has proven you can’t bet against him.

Leaky Black, F — Capital City Go-Go

Black actually got some run in the NBA last season with the Charlotte Hornets. In 26 games, he averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game. He also played seven games in the G League with the Greensboro Swarm, where he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per game.

Black was dropped by the Swarm, but picked up by the Wizards in September. The Wizards waived him in mid October to their G League team, the Capital City Go-Go. Black has achieved his NBA dream once before, and now he’ll look to make it back to the top stage in the basketball world.

Nassir Little, F — Sioux Falls Skyforce

Little’s NBA career has unfortunately been riddled with injuries. The Portland Trail Blazers selected him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Little spent his first four years in Portland, with his best season coming in 2021-2022. He averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game. But Little has never played more than 54 games in a season. He’s suffered knee injuries, a shoulder surgery, ankle injuries, concussions and more.

Last season, Little was traded to the Phoenix Suns, but again he battled injuries. He had limited minutes and never got into a groove, only averaging 3.4 points per game. Little was picked up by the Miami Heat in September, but like Bacot, he was waived on the final roster cut on Oct. 19.

Little will play on Miami’s G League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Little’s health is his biggest question mark, but If he can stay healthy, he’s definitely worthy of an NBA bench spot.

Bacot, Black and Little weren't on the right end of NBA roster cuts, but that doesn’t mean these three Tar Heels can’t earn an NBA contract. They’ll have to show something special in the G League and prove they belong next to the world’s best.