Caleb Wilson might be wearing a different uniform these days, but the mentality certainly hasn't changed.
The former UNC basketball star is only six games into his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls, and the losing is already eating away at him.
Following Chicago's 125-111 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night, Wilson didn't hide his frustration with the Bulls' 1-5 start.
Caleb Wilson after the Bulls dropped to 1-5 to start the season:
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) October 31, 2026
"I've never been a loser in my whole life. So I'm going to try my best to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm never going to accept being a loser."pic.twitter.com/dxNVj8cGVS
"I've never been a loser in my whole life. So I'm going to try my best to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm never going to accept being a loser."
If that doesn't perfectly describe Caleb Wilson, what does?
Caleb Wilson is already trying to change the culture in Chicago
Wilson's frustration wasn't simply about losing another basketball game.
It was about how the Bulls were losing.
The 20-year-old rookie expressed disappointment with Chicago's competitive spirit, saying afterward that he felt his team "laid down" at times during the loss.
Wilson also wasn't interested in pointing fingers. Instead, he pointed directly at himself.
Despite being the youngest player on the roster and only six games into his professional career, Wilson said it's his responsibility to lead the Bulls. He even took ownership of Chicago's poor start, refusing to use his age or lack of NBA experience as an excuse.
That should sound familiar to Tar Heel fans.
Wilson's competitiveness was one of the qualities that made him such a special player during his lone season in Chapel Hill.
Sure, his ridiculous athleticism, highlight-reel dunks, rebounding ability and seemingly endless motor helped.
However, the one thing that always stood out was how Wilson played every possession like it mattered. It didn't matter who the Tar Heels were playing against, Wilson brought it every single time he stepped on the court.
Winning obviously mattered to him then, and that hasn't changed one bit now that he's a pro.
As he said during his time in Chapel Hill on a few occasions, Wilson hates losing more than he loves winning.
The early results in Chicago haven't lived up to Wilson's expectations, but the former Tar Heel has already given Bulls fans with plenty of reasons to be excited.
Wilson became the second player in franchise history, after Michael Jordan, to score at least 100 points in his first five NBA games.
He also recorded a 30-point, 14-rebound performance in his home debut, becoming the first NBA player since 1982 to score at least 30 points and grab 14 rebounds in his first three career games.
Listening to Wilson speak, you can tell that the individual accolades aren't important to him at this time.
The Bulls are losing, and that bothers Wilson.
There will undoubtedly be plenty of growing pains throughout Wilson's rookie season. He's 20 years old and playing against the best basketball players in the world every night. Nobody should expect him to single-handedly fix everything wrong in Chicago.
However, six games into his NBA career, Wilson is already showing something that can't be taught. He's a natural-born leader who expects to win, refusing to get comfortable with losing.
Even at a very young age, Wilson is willing to put the responsibility on himself to help change it.
Caleb Wilson only spent one year in Chapel Hill, but the 24 games he played in showed what type of competitor he is. No one is surprised that he's off to a great start to begin his NBA career, and everyone already knows that he's far from satisfied with his team's early results.
His actions are a testament to the type of person and player he is, as Chicago Bulls fans are quickly seeing that they have a special player who is motivated to do everything he can to help turn the franchise back around.
