Harrison Barnes' "Black Falcon" nickname came from ESPN
Posted Jan 28, 2011
How did UNC freshman Harrison Barnes get ‘The Black Falcon’ as a nickname? Credit ESPN. “When I was at the Jordan Game, myself, Jared Sullinger, and Kyrie Irving got a tour of ESPN,’’ Barnes said today. “ They gave us [each] nicknames. “I said I wanted mine to be an animal, because Michael Jordan was the ‘Black Cat’ and Kobe was the ‘Black Mamba,’” Barnes said. “And they just gave me the ‘Black Falcon.’
(Raleigh News & Observer)
Related: Basketball, Basketball Recruiting
Vince Carter recalls Michael Jordan’s legendary return to UNC for pickup gamesMichael Jordan rewrote the narrative that NBA titles could be won with a guard in the starring role. In doing so, he inspired an entire...
Fri May 15, 2026UNC Basketball Keeping the Ties While Moving Forward
Carolina Basketball Family ties are incredibly important, but you have to prepare for the future, have to adapt and evolve and at the same time...
Fri May 15, 2026
Video: Locked On Tar Heels - Did Alexandros Samodurov Commit to UNC Basketball? What We Know
Rumors circulated Thursday evening that Greek center Alexandros Samodurov committed to UNC Basketball. But has he really? Isaac Schade shares what we know right now...
Fri May 15, 2026
UNC Basketball Staff Hires Provide Glimpse of Michael Malone's Vision
What does a coach who’s had a tremendous amount of success at the NBA level but hasn’t done it at the college level need in...
Thu May 14, 2026