Tony Bradley’s gamble paid off. Big time.

I can’t imagine the angst in the Bradley family as the first round of the NBA Draft droned on toward the final picks. Then, all of a sudden, Bradley was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers at number 28, which guarantees him about three million dollars over the next three years. Even better, Bradley’s rights were traded to Utah.

Bradley was one of the more debated draft picks of this season. He was a reserve as a freshman, playing less than 15 minutes a game for the Heels and averaging almost five rebounds  which is about 13 per 40 minutes played.  That was one metric that led ESPN to project Bradley as the tenth most valuable player in the draft while most of the mock draft boards had him slipping into the second round.

With the Lakers, under new president Magic Johnson and second-year coach Luke Walton, the pressure would have been daunting on Bradley, who needs time to develop his game and improve his stamina. At Utah, Bradley joins a team that needs big men who can rebound the ball, and that is TB5’s game. In the outpost of Salt Lake City, there’s no pressure compared to Lala Land.

Bradley joins Justin Jackson, who was drafted number 15 by Portland and then traded to Sacramento, also a good place for JJ because the franchise is rebuilding. He joins former Tar Heels point guard Ty Lawson with the Kings. So Carolina certainly kept up with the Dukies, who had three first-round picks in Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard and Harry Giles.

JJ and Bradley are the 48th and 49th Tar Heels selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. UNC has the most first-round picks in NBA Draft history and this marks the 11th time two or more Carolina players went in the first round (1977, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2017, if you want to look them up).

Jackson and Bradley are also the 17th and 18th Tar Heels to play for head coach Roy Williams drafted in the first round. Williams has coached 29 first-round picks – 11 at Kansas and 18 at North Carolina.

Overall, Bradley is the 112th Tar Heel selected in the NBA Draft, third most among any school in the nation. Jackson is also the third Tar Heel to win ACC Player of the Year and a national championship in the same season as well as being drafted in the first round. Lawson (2009) and Lennie Rosenbluth (1957) are the only other two with that accomplishment.

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