NBA Archive 75: Billy Cunningham

Posted Jan 14, 2022
Billy Cunningham, the lean leaper, who earned the nickname “Kangaroo Kid,” became a collegiate star in the days before Dean Smith’s program was a national powerhouse. As such, Cunningham became the first UNC player to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, but he also was a rare Tar Heels star who played in neither the NCAA tournament nor the NIT. (NBA.com)

Related: Basketball, Tar Heels in the NBA

Art’s Angle: Not Good Enough
Three nights after Hubert Davis’ team was outscored 11-3 in the closing minutes, the UNC coach was asked how it could possibly be guilty of...
Sun Jan 18, 2026

UNC Men's Basketball moves up in NET rankings after Quad 1 loss at Cal
The NET rankings can be confounding, but that was good for UNC after it lost a second Quad 1 game in California. The Tar Heels’...
Sun Jan 18, 2026

Video: Locked On Tar Heels - Interview With Former UNC Basketball Walk-On Jackson Watkins
Jackson Watkins secures his place in UNC Basketball history with clutch "biscuit" buckets in the Smith Center. From draining a free throw in front of...
Sun Jan 18, 2026

UNC Basketball memories of first game at Smith Center might surprise some Tar Heels
It’s been 40 years since UNC Basketball played its first game at the Smith Center. On Jan. 18, 1986, the No. 1 Tar Heels had...
Sun Jan 18, 2026