UNC basketball alumni spreading good

Did I use an image of Michael Jordan to get you to click on this post? Maybe, but now you are here so sit down, relax, and read about all the good deeds that current and former Tar Heels have done over the last few months.

It’s the season for giving and the UNC basketball team has some very generous current and former players. Everyone loves a feel good story and there have been a few lately involving some of our favorite current and former Tar Heels, so let’s dive into some of them.

This past week the current Tar Heel basketball team gave back to the community by taking part in an annual tradition of shopping for families in the surrounding area.

It is a tradition to give back as a player, which may explain why former Tar Heels still give back after they are done wearing the Carolina blue.

Michael Jordan

Jordan has a history of giving back to the community for quite some time now and his most recent publicized gesture was when he gave one million dollars each to the Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He made these contributions in response to recent police-related shootings. You can read his full statement here.

Jordan has been largely accused of standing in the shadows in cases of social issues, so to see him not only make contributions and let his money talk, but also go out of his way to make a full statement on the matter was surprising.

As the famous Dean Smith quote goes, “You should never be proud of doing the right thing, you should just do the right thing.” It seems as though Jordan took this saying to heart and did what he thought is the right thing.

Is everyone going to agree with his decision? Of course not, but Michael did something to cause change and start up the conversation and that to me is commendable.

We can say with almost certainty that Jordan’s actions in the summer led to his invitation to the White House in the fall. In late November Michael Jordan was awarded the medal of freedom from President Barack Obama. The medal is awarded to someone who has “contributed to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Obama went on to say that, “There is a reason you call somebody ‘the Michael Jordan of.’ The Michael Jordan of neurosurgery or the Michael Jordan of rabbis or the Michael Jordan of outrigger canoeing, and they know what you’re talking about, because Michael Jordan is the Michael Jordan of greatness. He is the definition of somebody so good at what they do that everybody recognizes it.”

Yes Jordan was recognized for being the greatest player to ever shoot a basketball, but he was also recognized for his contributions to others.

Eric Montross

Montross holds an annual Father’s Day camp where kids ages 7-13 can come and participate in learning about the game of basketball alongside their dads. 100% of the proceeds from this camp goes towards North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

Antwan Jamison

Jamison runs a camp alongside Camp Corral that was held in Chapel Hill earlier this year. Camp Corral is an organization that helps give kids a chance to connect with children like them who have a parent who is wounded, disabled, or a fallen veteran.

Vince Carter

If you weren’t aware, last week Vince made one of his biggest fans incredibly happy when she came to his game.

Props to Vince for going out of his way to meet with her. The joy on her face shows just how much it meant to her to meet her idol.

Rasheed Wallace

Wallace has been an activist for the community of Flint, Michigan for some time now. He has visited the town on multiple occasions to help out the community, and has gone out of his way to speak on the issue. Here is a clip of Wallace handing out water bottles to the people in Flint.

In an October article on the Player’s Tribune Wallace explains what he has dealt with upon his visits. You can read that article here.

These are just a few of the generous things that former Tar Heels have done off the court in the past months. Carolina fans should be incredibly proud of their teams not only for what they do on the court, but for what they have done off it.

No need to tell me because I already know that I am missing so much that former players have done. Please let me know below in the comments. I truly love hearing about stuff like this.