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Duke, Carolina, Virginia, FSU Lead ACC’s Opening-Night NBA Parade

By David Glenn

 

When the National Basketball Association launched its 2023-24 regular season Tuesday night, 82 products of Atlantic Coast Conference programs were on the professional league’s 30 active team rosters.

Duke (24), North Carolina (10), Virginia (nine) and Florida State (eight) led the way for the ACC, and all 15 conference members were represented by at least one player.

Only Kentucky (26) had more of its former players on opening-night NBA rosters than the Blue Devils, whose two dozen NBA players are almost as many as the total for 10 other ACC programs combined (see complete list below): Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

The NBA teams with the most former ACC players on their rosters are the Charlotte Hornets (five), New Orleans Pelicans (five), Atlanta Hawks (four), Orlando Magic (four) and Phoenix Suns (four).

Three of the five former ACC players on the Hornets’ roster previously played in North Carolina at the high school and college levels, too: forward Leaky Black (Cox Mill High School/UNC), forward Cody Martin (Davie County High School/NC State) and point guard Ish Smith (Central Cabarrus High School/Wake Forest). After two seasons with the Wolfpack, Martin finished his college career at Nevada.

Seven of the ACC products on opening-night rosters are NBA rookies: Black (UNC), Dereck Lively II (Duke), Jordan Miller (Miami), Terquavion Smith (NC State), Hunter Tyson (Clemson), Dariq Whitehead (Duke) and Isaiah Wong (Miami).

Lively and Whitehead were first-round draft picks. Miller, Tyson and Wong were second-round draft picks. Black and Smith were undrafted free agents.

The list below includes many incoming transfers, meaning those who changed schools but finished their college careers with ACC programs, and a handful of outgoing transfers (e.g., former UNC big man Walker Kessler, who played one season for the Tar Heels and one at Auburn), whose final college seasons were at non-ACC schools.

Players On 2023-24 NBA Opening-Night Rosters

(ACC Only)

Duke (24)

  • Grayson Allen, Phoenix Suns
  • Marvin Bagley III, Detroit Pistons
  • Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
  • RJ Barrett, New York Knicks
  • Marques Bolden, Milwaukee Bucks
  • Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic
  • Seth Curry*, Dallas Mavericks
  • Harry Giles, Brooklyn Nets
  • AJ Griffin, Atlanta Hawks
  • Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
  • Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
  • Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
  • Tre Jones, San Antonio Spurs
  • Tyus Jones, Washington Wizards
  • Luke Kennard, Memphis Grizzlies
  • Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
  • Wendell Moore Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Mason Plumlee, LA Clippers
  • Cam Reddish, LA Lakers
  • Jason Tatum, Boston Celtics
  • Gary Trent Jr., Toronto Raptors
  • Dariq Whitehead, Brooklyn Nets
  • Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
  • Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

North Carolina (10)

  • Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
  • Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings
  • Leaky Black, Charlotte Hornets
  • Reggie Bullock, Houston Rockets
  • Danny Green, Philadephia 76ers
  • Cameron Johnson*, Brooklyn Nets
  • Walker Kessler^, Utah Jazz
  • Nassir Little, Phoenix Suns
  • Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets
  • Coby White, Chicago Bulls

Virginia (9)

  • Malcolm Brogdon, Portland Trail Blazers
  • Anthony Gill*, Washington Wizards
  • Joe Harris, Detroit Pistons
  • Sam Hauser*, Boston Celtics
  • Jay Huff, Denver Nuggets
  • De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks
  • Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Braxton Key*, Denver Nuggets
  • Trey Murphy III*, New Orleans Pelicans

Florida State (8)

  • Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
  • Malik Beasley, Milwaukee Bucks
  • John Butler Jr., Washington Wizards
  • Trent Forrest, Atlanta Hawks
  • Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic
  • Terance Mann, LA Clippers
  • Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
  • Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls

NC State (6)

  • Caleb Martin^, Miami Heat
  • Cody Martin^, Charlotte Hornets
  • Dereon Seabron, New Orleans Pelicans
  • Dennis Smith Jr., Brooklyn Nets
  • Terquavion Smith, Philadephia 76ers
  • Omer Yurtseven^, Utah Jazz

Louisville (4)

  • Damion Lee*, Phoenix Suns
  • Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Jordan Nwora, Indiana Pacers
  • Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets

Miami (4)

  • Bruce Brown, Indiana Pacers
  • Jordan Miller*, LA Clippers
  • Lonnie Walker IV, Brooklyn Nets
  • Isaiah Wong, Indiana Pacers

Wake Forest (4)

  • John Collins, Utah Jazz
  • Jake LaRavia*, Memphis Grizzlies
  • Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors
  • Ish Smith, Charlotte Hornets

Georgia Tech (3)

  • Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans
  • Josh Okogie, Phoenix Suns
  • Thaddeus Young, Toronto Raptors

Syracuse (3)

  • Oshae Brissett, Boston Celtics
  • Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers
  • Cole Swider*, Miami Heat

Boston College (2)

  • Reggie Jackson, Denver Nuggets
  • Jerome Robinson, Golden State Warriors

Notre Dame (2)

  • Pat Connaughton, Milwaukee Bucks
  • Blake Wesley, San Antonio Spurs

Pittsburgh (2)

  • Steven Adams, Memphis Grizzlies
  • Cameron Johnson^, Brooklyn Nets

Clemson (1)

  • Hunter Tyson, Denver Nuggets

Virginia Tech (1)

  • Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Minnesota Timberwolves

 

*-transfer who finished college career at specified ACC school

^-transfer who started college career at specified ACC school

 

David Glenn (DavidGlennShow.com, @DavidGlennShow) is an award-winning author, broadcaster, editor, entrepreneur, publisher, speaker, writer and university lecturer (now at UNC Wilmington) who has covered sports in North Carolina since 1987.

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