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

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network

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