Former UNC standout Day’Ron Sharpe is officially headed to the NBA, as the Phoenix Suns drafted him on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-11 Greenville, N.C. native was taken 29th overall, the second-to-last pick in the first round, after a strong year off the bench for the Tar Heels in the 2020-21 season.

As part of a trade agreed upon in principle earlier in the night, the Suns agreed to trade the 29th overall pick, as well as guard Jevon Carter, to the Brooklyn Nets. While the trade will not be made official until the start of the new NBA year, it mean Sharpe will very likely end up in Brooklyn instead of Phoenix.

With Sharpe’s selection, 54 former UNC players have now been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. With Kentucky’s Isiah Jackson taken with pick #22 in earlier in the evening, the Tar Heels still trail the Wildcats by one for the highest number of first-round selections for players.

Sharpe becomes the 118th former Tar Heel to be drafted into the NBA. It places UNC third in all-time players taken in the draft, as they trail Kentucky and UCLA.

A former five-star recruit, Sharpe averaged 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, largely coming off the bench during his lone season in Chapel Hill. He led the nation in offensive rebounding percentage and garnered the second-most votes for the ACC Rookie of the Year award. Sharpe announced his plans to turn professional in March, shortly after the Tar Heels’ ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The first-round selection of Sharpe marks the final draft pick of former UNC head coach Roy Williams, who retired from leading the program in April. Between his time coaching the Kansas Jayhawks and the Tar Heels, Williams saw 32 former players taken in the first round of the NBA Draft. That mark puts him third all-time behind Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky head coach John Calipari, according to ESPN’s Bryan Ives.

Williams attended Thursday night’s draft party hosted by Sharpe and his family, as reported by C.L. Brown of the News & Observer.

The estimated first-round contract for the 29th pick in the first round of the NBA Draft is projected to be approximately $10.3 million, which is guaranteed, according to ESPN front office expert Bobby Marks.

Photo via ACC Media/Maggie Boulton.

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
‹
Brady Manek Signs With Charlotte Hornets
Brady Manek is league-bound, and he won’t have to travel very far. The UNC men’s basketball star and fan favorite signed with the Charlotte Hornets Friday afternoon, and will play with the team in the NBA’s annual Summer League. @BradyManek is heading to Charlotte for this year's Summer League 🔥 Congratulations to Brady Manek and […]
Former Tar Heel Garrison Brooks Signs Contract With New York Knicks
Garrison Brooks is headed to the Big Apple. The former Tar Heel big man, who spent last year playing at Mississippi State, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the New York Knicks Friday. BREAKING NEWS: Former UNC basketball standout Garrison Brooks has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the New York Knicks.https://t.co/jPIhfFNcuF — Keeping It […]
Chansky's Notebook: Potential or Proof
Wouldn’t Drake Powell be better off returning and being UNC's leading scorer as well as an excellent rebounder and assist man?
Holding Court: Regaining a Prominent Place in the NBA Universe
Recently, UNC basketball has fallen from its prominent perch in the NBA universe, with only seven former players on opening day rosters.
Chansky's Notebook: The Exhibitors
Thanks to some local names, the Utah Jazz will have familiar competition in preseason training camp when trying to fill out their post depth.
Chansky's Notebook: Tweener No More
When Harrison Ingram transferred to UNC, it was almost a sure bet he would stay two seasons in Chapel Hill.
Michael Jordan to Appear on Cover of NBA 2K23
Even almost two decades after his (final) retirement, His Airness still dominates the NBA. Michael Jordan will grace the cover of special editions of NBA 2K23, the video game announced Tuesday. No other way to do it for 2️⃣3️⃣ Introducing our #NBA2K23 Cover Athlete Michael Jordan 🏀Michael Jordan Edition🏆Championship Edition Pre-order starting 7/7 pic.twitter.com/WwVTynbK2x — […]
Holding Court: Building A Champion in the 21st Century
How Many Future NBA Players Does It Take To Build An NCAA Champion In Modern Era? By David Glenn   (Part Five of a Six-Part NCAA/NBA Draft Series leading up to the June 23 NBA Draft, following Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four) When one or two Kansas players (senior guard Ochai […]
Chansky's Notebook: Deadline Dilemma
Is Hubert Davis willing to play the waiting game? One week remains before the deadline for players who have declared for the NBA Draft to pull themselves out and return to college. And some of them are also in the transfer portal and can pick a second school to play for next season. It’s pretty […]
UNC Basketball Alumnus Reggie Bullock Receives Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award
Reggie Bullock has been making plays on the court for the Dallas Mavericks throughout this year’s NBA Playoffs, but it’s what the UNC basketball alumnus has been doing off the court that’s been getting attention. On Sunday, the NBA named Bullock the recipient of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award. The NBA today […]
›