Former UNC forward Kennedy Meeks — who won a national championship with the Tar Heels in 2017 — agreed last week to a deal with the Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League.

Meeks will join his frontcourt partner from that Tar Heel national title team, Isaiah Hicks, who was already on the team’s roster.

Hicks currently leads the Thunders with averages of 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The team is 13-11 through the season’s first 24 games, good enough for fourth place in the league standings.

Both Meeks and Hicks played four years at UNC after arriving in Chapel Hill with McDonald’s All-American status prior to the 2013-14 season.

Meeks averaged 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in college, while Hicks had career averages of 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Neither player was drafted into the NBA, but both spent time in the NBA G-League. Hicks ultimately earned a chance to play limited minutes in 21 career NBA games with the New York Knicks.

Meeks most recently played professionally in Japan. Hicks spent last season in Russia prior to signing in South Korea.

 

Photo via Todd Melet

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: The Cost of Business
Carolina has released its salary structure for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, and right now it has to be a game of wait and see. Mike Malone is making $7.5 million in his first college head coaching season and his new top assistant Chuck Martin is making $500,000. Here is where it gets interesting. The […]
Report: Buffalo Transfer Angelo Brizzi Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Angelo Brizzi, who spent the 2025-26 season with Buffalo, reportedly committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal Wednesday. Inside Carolina first reported the news. UNC will be Brizzi’s fifth school in five years. The guard began his career at Villanova in 2022 – entering college in the same class […]
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season
As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
Former UNC Player Ed Davis Among Several Indicted in NBA Gambling Scandal
Ed Davis, who played for the UNC men’s basketball team from 2008 through 2010 and helped the Tar Heels win the 2009 national title, is among six former NBA players who are being charged with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering as the result of a federal investigation. An indictment published Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
Chansky's Notebook: What Happened to Henri?
Blame Henri Veesaar's baffling slide in the NBA Draft on the muddled way the league and its agents do business.
The Morning News: Crisis Diversion Facility, Learfield Director's Cup, UNC-NC State Basketball
In today's news: Orange County moves ahead on a new Crisis Diversion Facility, and UNC finishes fourth in the Learfield Director's Cup.
UNC Men's Basketball to Face Illinois in Nashville Hoops Showdown in January
UNC is adding another high-level non-conference matchup to its 2026-27 schedule. The Tar Heels will face Illinois in the Nashville Hoops Showdown on Saturday, Jan. 30. The matchup has been confirmed by both programs and by Bridgestone Arena, which will host the game. Tar Heels 🆚 Fighting Illini in Nashville pic.twitter.com/UuhExCctMB — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]
UNC's Henri Veesaar Drafted by Los Angeles Clippers, Traded to Atlanta Hawks
Henri Veesaar is league-bound. The seven-foot center, who spent the 2025-26 season with UNC after committing to the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal, was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 52 overall pick in the NBA Draft, who then traded that pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Veesaar spent the first […]
Carolina and Chicago Fans React Online to Caleb Wilson Being Drafted by Bulls
UNC fans took to social media shared their excitement and appreciation for Caleb Wilson on Tuesday, while several Chicago Bulls fans did too.
›