University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Take Center Stage As NBA Season Begins
October 29, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 29, 2002
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It's opening night in the NBA, and former Tar Heel Larry Brown will be center stage, when his Philadelphia 76ers face the Orlando Magic at 7:30 p.m. in the first game of the season. Brown is in his sixth year as head coach in Philly, and he's one of nine former Carolina players in NBA coaching and/or administration.
After a three-game opening night schedule, the NBA season officially gets into high gear on Wednesday with 14 games. Several of the 14 Tar Heels in the league figure to play big roles in the nights' two marquee matchups.
On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Washington plays at Toronto on ESPN. The Wizards figure to start former Tar Heels Jerry Stackhouse and Brendan Haywood, while Michael Jordan is expected to come off the bench. Meanwhile, Vince Carter, the leading NBA All-Star vote-getter for three straight years, leads the Raptors.
Carter, who led the Raptors and ranked fifth in the league in the preseason with 19.3 points per game, is ready to take his team to the next level.
"I want to step in and help this organization win (and) I want this to be a winning tradition where, year in and year out, when you talk about playoffs, you talk about the Raptors," Carter told the Toronto Sun. "And it starts with me.
"It's on another level, as far as preparation and getting my mind ready. There are a lot of things I want to accomplish this year as far as the team winning."
In ESPN's nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers are at the Portland Trail Blazers for a 9:30 p.m. tip. Rick Fox, who's serving a six-game suspension after a preseason altercation, will not be with the Lakers, but Rasheed Wallace and Jeff McInnis, teammates in 1993-94 and 1994-95 at UNC, will be reunited with the Trail Blazers. McInnis was acquired by the Blazers in the offseason and averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 assists in 24 minutes per game in the preseason. Wallace averaged a team-high 13.9 points per game for Portland in the preseason.
Antawn Jamison, now in his fifth year with the Golden State Warriors, also enjoyed a solid preseason. Jamison has averaged 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game through four NBA seasons. While the Warriors will have at least five first- or second-year players in their rotation, there is plenty of optimism under new coach Eric Musselman for a team that won just 21 games a year ago.
"The way it's being done now, you have to start off with a young nucleus of guys and have them blend together for a while before you become a great team," Jamison told the San Francisco Chronicle. "This is the way I think it should be done."
Check back throughout the NBA season for more updates about Tar Heels in the NBA.
Tar Heels in the NBA
Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors
Hubert Davis, Detroit Pistons
Joseph Forte, Seattle SuperSonics
Rick Fox, Los Angeles Lakers
rendan Haywood, Washington Wizards
Antawn Jamison, Golden State Warriors
Michael Jordan, Washington Wizards
George Lynch, New Orleans Hornets
Jeff McInnis, Portland Trail Blazers
Eric Montross, Toronto Raptors
Jerry Stackhouse, Washington Wizards
Rasheed Wallace, Portland Trail Blazers
Scott Williams, Phoenix Suns
Shammond Williams, Boston Celtics
Tar Heels in NBA Administration
Larry Brown, Head Coach, Toronto Raptors
Walter Davis, Advance Scout, Washington Wizards
Dave Hanners, Assistant Coach, Philadelphia 76ers
George Karl, Head Coach, Milwaukee Bucks
John Kuester, Assistant Coach, Philadelphia 76ers
Mitch Kupchak, General Manager, Los Angeles Lakers
ob McAdoo, Assistant Coach, Miami Heat
Mike O'Koren, Assistant Coach, New Jersey Nets
Donnie Walsh, President, Indiana Pacers
