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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.
Both players were NBA Rookies of the Year (1978 and 1999, respectively), were each All-NBA selections twice, and combined for 14 NBA All-Star games (Carter with eight selections, Davis six).
Walter Davis of course passed 
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.
The Phoenix Suns All-Time Leading Scorer.
The 6x NBA All-Star.
The 1978 Rookie of the Year.
The Man with the Velvet Touch.
Walter Davis will be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a #24HoopClass inductee! pic.twitter.com/Wt52eHWCf9
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 6, 2024
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.
Congrats @mrvincecarter15 on your induction into the @Hoophall 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame! pic.twitter.com/uDaxopZGTl
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 6, 2024
Coincidentally, if the Toronto Raptors want to take all of my money, they should make the graphic they created to honor Vince their primary logo:
An Icon for the City pic.twitter.com/dM1Pq5Wova
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 6, 2024
Congratulations to UNC’s 2024 Naismith Hall of Fame inductees!
MORE FROM TAR HEEL BLOG
UNC Basketball: Seth Trimble has entered the transfer portal
UNC Basketball: The Tar Heels are ranked 15th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25
A UNC spring sports round-up
UNC Basketball: RJ Davis takes home the Jerry West Award
UNC Basketball: Checking in on former Tar Heels who entered the transfer portal
UNC Basketball: Harrison Ingram and RJ Davis ink new NIL deals
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