Nassir Little declares for the NBA Draft

It’s official. Nassir Little will declare for the NBA and forgo his remaining college eligibility. Little announced his decision in a tweet this afternoon.

Little committed to UNC in the fall of 2017 and entered Chapel Hill as a top-5 recruit. He was the highest recruit to join the Tar Heels since Harrison Barnes in 2010-11. The hype for the 6’6 wing out of Florida continued through last spring when he won the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.

Battling nagging injuries and playing behind All-ACC first team guard Cameron Johnson, and All-ACC second-team forward Luke Maye, Little often made the most of his minutes. In his lone season in Carolina Blue, Little averaged 18.2 minutes, 9.8 points, and 4.6 rebounds while splitting time between the wing and forward positions. His efforts helped lead UNC to a regular season sweep of Duke, a piece of the regular season ACC championship, and a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Little is UNC’s third “one-and-done” (OAD) recruit since the NBA implemented the rule that players must be one year removed from high school before they can declare for the NBA draft. Brandan Wright (2007) and Tony Bradley (2017) are the other two. Marvin Williams was the #2 overall pick after playing one season for the 2005 champions, but that was technically before the OAD rule was in place.

Our staff gives a sincere thank you to Nassir and his family. They handled this season with class and maturity in what was, at times, a frustrating season. Little never put his personal ambitions above the team or complained about his role. Quite simply, the Heels aren’t near as successful without Nassir on the roster.

We all wish him the best of luck as he continues to represent the Carolina Family at the next level.