In the 1980s, the University of North Carolina was the center of the state’s sports culture. Dean Smith’s iconic Tar Heels were producing NBA talent left and right while also competing for national championships every year.
While college athletes today enjoy some sense of popularity, it still doesn’t come close to the fame that surrounded UNC players during that period. One of those guys was Kenny Smith, who played alongside legends like Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins.
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Speaking on The Pivot Podcast, Smith reflected on his fame and how he never truly realized how revered UNC basketball players were until he first set foot on campus.
“Even in the visit, I didn’t know. But when I got there, I’m like, there was no pro teams in North Carolina, we were the pro team. We were the its of it,” Smith recalled.
“Like if you went off campus, from our first man to our 12th man were like rock stars. When we used to go to a mall, they’d have to shut the mall. Kids couldn’t come in, they let you shop,” he added.
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Smith joined UNC in 1983, a year after Jordan hit the legendary game-winner against Georgetown in the National Championship game, so they were arguably the most popular college sports team in the nation, and with that fame came great power, which they used once against their arch-rivals, Duke.
Power and influence
Smith recalled that he, along with Jordan and Perkins, often got haircuts at North Carolina Central. And when the time came, when Duke players who also hung out in that area were looking for haircuts, they used their influence to the full.
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“We used to go get haircuts at Central North Carolina Central and in the student union. Duke used to come in. There was myself, Michael and Sam Perkins, and we’re getting a haircut. They got the door locked so nobody comes in,” he said.
“Duke guys are coming in to get their haircut, Michael’s like, ‘If you let them in, we’ll never come back,” Smith continued.
It was a bizarre yet appropriate story to represent the iconic rivalry between UNC and Duke. At that time, Duke wasn’t the powerhouse program they are today, or even in the 90s. They were a lingering D1 program still looking for its first national championship.
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North Carolina, at that time at least, was still Tar Heels territory. And for the freshman Smith, it was perhaps the ultimate ego boost and the realization of the power and clout that came with their powder-blue uniforms.
“I’m a freshman, I’ll get my hair cut, and I was looking at like Johnny Dawkins looking through the mirror, they’re knocking on the window. He’s like come back later,” Kenny stated. “That’s the type of juice we had. We had the juice.”
UNC-Duke rivalry
Looking back, Smith’s story reflects the UNC-Duke rivalry that evolved into something more in the 90s. Smith and Mike Kryzeweski became heated rivals as the Blue Devils started to dominate college basketball in the early 90s, led by Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley, who helped Duke win back-to-back national championships from 1991 to 1992.
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However, after 1992, UNC reclaimed its throne, with Smith coaching them to another national championship. The feud was alive and well until the legendary head coach retired in 1997. The rivalry even reached its latest peak after it was Coach K’s turn to retire, when he failed to beat the Tar Heels in his last home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Today, the rivalry’s intensity has died down, along with the massive popularity and influence UNC college basketball players once had. Still, the rivalry itself is woven into both programs’ culture. And once both teams return to being college basketball contenders, there will be no doubt a new generation of players like Smith, Jordan and Perkins who will do everything to get the upper hand over the Blue Devils.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
