Their induction on August 17th will bring North Carolina’s tally of players and coaches up to 14, second only to Kansas with 20 inductees. Carolina has the most players in the Hall of Fame.
While Carter and Davis are eras apart in the Carolina Family, their accomplishments mirror each other closely. Both played for Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith. Both were Olympic gold medalists for USA basketball. Davis (alongside fellow Tar Heels Phil Ford and Mitch Kupchak and future UNC dad Scott May) beat the former Yugoslavia in 1976 while Carter beat France in the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia.
Walter Davis of course passed away this season on November 2, 2023. He was Hubert Davis’s uncle, and Coach Davis spoke fondly of his uncle, crediting him with fueling his desire to play at Carolina.
In addition to leaving a lasting impression in Chapel Hill, Walter Davis is revered in Phoenix, where he still remains the Suns’ all-time leading scorer with 15,666 points. The Suns have retired Davis’s #6 jersey.
Vince Carter, for those too young to remember, made Tar Heel fans believe a man could fly. He was part of some of the most enormously talented Carolina teams that made two Final Fours (1997 under Dean Smith and 1998 under Bill Guthridge), but didn’t win the national championship. Vince Carter concluded his UNC career as an All-ACC selection and First Team All-American, before being drafted fifth overall in the 1998 NBA Draft, one spot behind fellow Tar Heel Antawn Jamison.
Carter will be remembered as much for his longevity (22 total NBA seasons, sparking the famous “I got one more in me” meme template) as his highlights, which is saying something for a player known for being “half man, half amazing!” Vince Carter electrified the NBA with his power and leaping ability. His dunks were otherworldly and brought in a new generation of NBA fans as Michael Jordan was nearing (temporary) retirement.
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