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USA250: The 10 greatest college athletes from North Carolina - North Carolina has produced numerous legendary collegiate athletes across various sports.
- Basketball icons like Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, and Stephen Curry are among the state's most famous athletes.
- The list also includes standouts from golf and football, such as Arnold Palmer and Lawrence Taylor.
Choosing the 10 greatest collegiate athletes who played in the state of North Carolina would be challenging enough if we were limited to basketball players only.
Theres more than a little hardwood history in that state, after all, and it isnt limited to the so-called Big Four schools representing the Atlantic Coast Conference.
But plenty of other athletes from across the college sports spectrum that were worthy of consideration for our list as well.
We can be absolutely sure of one thing, however nobody will have a difference of opinion with these selections.
Haha.
Just kidding.
Well stipulate that in the interest of fairness we tried to limit our choices to one athlete per sport at a given school, so there are sure to be notable omissions from a list this exclusive.
With all that out of the way, here are our choices.
10 greatest college athletes from North Carolina Michael Jordan, North Carolina Some entries on this list truly need no introduction, of course, and it is well known that the future NBA legend and pal to Bugs Bunny first became a household name during his stint with the Tar Heels.
In his three seasons in Chapel Hill, he hit the game winner in the 1982 NCAA championship game, was named ACC player of the year in 1984, and averaged 17.7 points over his collegiate career.
USA 250 LISTS: Alaska | Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio Christian Laettner, Duke Perhaps the brightest of the numerous stars who have endeared themselves to the Cameron Crazies, Laettner led Duke to its first two NCAA titles and four Four Final Fours.
He remains third in school history in both points (2,460) and rebounds (1,149).
Though he had his share of clutch moments, its his buzzer-beater against Kentucky in the 1992 regional final that will be seen in March Madness highlight packages in perpetuity.
David Thompson, North Carolina State Arguably nobody in the storied history of ACC basketball had a better college career than Thompson at N.C.
State.
Named league player of the year in all three of his seasons in Raleigh, D.T.
led the Wolfpack to the national championship in 1974 as a junior.
Thompson finished his career as a two-time national player of the year and averaged 26.8 points in an era when dunking wasnt allowed.
Arnold Palmer, Wake Forest Arnie is far from the only future pro to have come through the Wake Forest golf program, but theres no disputing his is the most recognizable name.
He won individual medalist honors at the 1949 and 1950 NCAA championship then interrupted his college career for a three-year stint in the U.S.
Coast Guard.
Palmer returned to school and won the inaugural ACC championship in 1954 before subsequently claiming the U.S.
amateur championship and going professional.
PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12 Mia Hamm, North Carolina One of the trailblazers for the U.S.
womens national soccer team, Hamm left her indelible mark on the college game as a key contributor to the North Carolina dynasty.
Hamm recorded 103 goals and 72 assists for 278 points in her four seasons as a Tar Heel, all of which ended with national championships.
She also redshirted in the middle of her career and was part of the American team that won the 1991 World Cup.
Among her college accolades were twice being named ACC female athlete of the year and earned three first-team All-America honors.
Tim Duncan, Wake Forest As a precursor to his standout career with the San Antonio Spurs, Duncan spent four seasons dominating the paint at Wake Forest.
The two-time ACC player of the year led the Demon Deacons to the Elite Eight in 1996 and was the consensus national player of the year in his senior season.
He averaged 16.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks for the Demon Deacons from 1993-97.
Stephen Curry, Davidson Not every future hoops hall-of-famer from the state played in the ACC.
Curry put Davidson on the map during his career, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2008 as a sophomore when he was a second-team All-American.
His junior season - his last for the Wildcats - was marked by a first-team selection and he finished his career with 2,635 points and 414 made three-pointers.
Lawrence Taylor, North Carolina Its a basketball-heavy state, but wed be remiss if we didnt include one of footballs most fearsome pass rushers.
He thrived in his final two seasons at North Carolina, where as a senior in 1980 he set a single-season school record with 16 sacks, while being a consensus first-team All-American and ACC player of the year.
Erin Matson, North Carolina One of the most decorated players in the North Carolina field hockey program, Matson was chosen to succeed long-time Tar Heels coach Karen Shelton upon her retirement.
In her playing days, Matson was the three-time winner of the Honda Award and led the Heels to four NCAA titles from 2018-22, notching 137 goals and 63 assists over her career.
Charlotte Smith, North Carolina Hitting a game-winning shot for a national championship certainly earns Smith a spot on this list.
Her last-second three-pointer, her only made trey of the season, gave the Tar Heels the 60-59 victory against Louisiana Tech for the 1994 title and she won the tournament's most outstanding player award.
Her following season a senior, Smith would receive national player of the year honors the following season averaging 19.6 points and 10.7 rebounds.