Carolinas Connection
The Carolinas area enjoys its lofty basketball stature due to a wide range of top performers from the region – from Michael Jordan to Pete Maravich to David Thompson to Walt Bellamy. Those names are just a sample of the long list of significant contributors from the Carolinas. Below are some of the people who made Carolina the home to basketball country.

Carolina Basketball “Legends”
Player Carolina Ties Note
Walt Bellamy New Bern, NC Hall of Fame
Jay Bilas Duke ESPN
Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues Wake Forest and Charlotte Hornets  
M.L. Carr Wallace, NC, Guilford College and Carolina Cougars  
Billy Cunningham UNC and Carolina Cougars Hall of Fame
Dell Curry Charlotte Hornets  
Brad Daugherty UNC  
Walter Davis South Mecklenburg HS and UNC  
Johnny Dawkins Duke  
Alex English Columbia, SC and USC HOF, Philly Asst.
World B. Free Guilford College  
Sleepy Floyd Gastonia, NC  
Phil Ford UNC  
Clarence “Big House” Gaines Winston-Salem State coach Hall of Fame
Mike Gminski Duke and Charlotte Hornets  
Art Heyman Duke  
“Sweet” Lou Hudson Greensboro, NC  
Bobby Jones South Mecklenburg HS, UNC and Carolina Cougars  
Sam Jones Laurinburg, NC and North Central College Hall of Fame
Michael Jordan Wilmington, NC and UNC  
George Karl UNC  
Meadowlark Lemon Wilmington, NC  
Sidney Lowe NC State Minnesota Asst.
“Pistol” Pete Maravich HS in Clemson, SC; Raleigh, NC; Salemberg, NC Hall of Fame
Bob McAdoo Greensboro, NC and UNC HOF, Miami Asst.
Horace “Bones” McKinney Durham, NC; UNC, NC State; Wake Forest coach  
Xavier McDaniel Columbia, SC  
Frank McGuire UNC and USC coach Hall of Fame
Doug Moe UNC and Carolina Cougars Denver Asst.
Earl “The Pearl” Monroe Winston-Salem State Hall of Fame
Larry Nance Clemson  
Curly Neal Greensboro, NC and Johnson C. Smith Harlem Globetrotters (HOF)
Billy Packer Wake Forest CBS
Sam Perkins UNC  
Tree Rollins Clemson  
Kenny Smith UNC TNT
David Thompson Crest, NC and NC State Hall of Fame
Dominique Wilkins Washington, NC Atlanta Exec. Asst.
Buck Williams Rocky Mount, NC  
James Worthy Gastonia, NC and UNC Hall of Fame

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