UNC basketball brought back ex-stars for a workout and the photos are awesome

You never know who's going to show up on the UNC campus during summer basketball workouts, even if they were just part of a major trade in the NBA.

Cameron Johnson, who was traded to the Denver Nuggets earlier this week, was in Chapel Hill along with several other alums from the basketball program to run the courts for a few sessions.

The pictures from the official basketball social media account showed Johnson, Luke Maye, Justin Jackson and others wearing UNC practice gear and enjoying some competitive moments on the court together.

Johnson came to the Tar Heels as a graduate transfer in 2017 after spending three seasons with Pittsburgh. He was an integral part of the 2017-18 squad that reached the ACC Championship game and lost in the second round of the national tournament to Texas A&M. 

As a fifth-year player, Johnson put it altogether, averaging 16.9 points per game on 50.5% shooting from the floor and 45.7% from 3-pointers. He was a first-team All-ACC selection and became a lottery pick in the 2019 Draft, selected 11th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Justin Jackson did it all during his three years as a Tar Heel from 2015-17. He came to Chapel Hill as one of the top freshmen in the nation and started 114 games during his three-year run. As a sophomore, Jackson helped the Heels win an ACC championship and reach the finals of the national tournament before losing to Villanova on a shot that none of us like to talk about.

But it was Jackson's junior season that put him in rare air among Tar Heel greats. He was the ACC Player of the Year, a consensus All-American and the top scorer (18.3) on the best team in the nation. Jackson's swan song in Carolina blue saw him score 16 points in a win over Gonzaga to secure another NCAA championship - the third and final one under Roy Williams. 

It's never a surprise to see Maye around campus when he's not playing ball overseas. One of the most popular players of the last decade, Maye had his best season as a junior in 2017-18 when he averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, becoming a first-team All-ACC selection. 

He declared from the Draft in 2018, but pulled his name back to return for his senior year. Maye fell off a bit and his outside shot just wasn't falling. He went from shooting over 43 percent from 3-pointers as a junior to slightly under 29 percent as a senior. Maye still averaged a double-double a game and was a second-team All-ACC selection as the Tar Heels squad reached the Sweet Sixteen. 

It's always good to have the vets share the floor with the future stars of the program.