By R.L. Bynum
Tony Bradley has a chance to join a select group of North Carolina players — including two members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame — who have won championships with the Tar Heels and in the NBA.
When the Indiana Pacers visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA finals (ABC), Bradley — a Pacers reserve — will try to become the fifth Tar Heel to win an NCAA and an NBA title.
Bradley joined the Pacers in March and has supplanted Thomas Bryant for a few games as their backup center behind Myles Turner for a few games.
Bradley suffered a strain of his left hip flexor in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks, didn’t play in Game 6 and is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game.
Only three UNC national championship teams have had players go on to win an NBA title, and Bradley could become the second from the 2017 national championship team.
Bradley has struggled to stay in the NBA and has played numerous games in the G League, similar to retired 2017 UNC teammate Justin Jackson, who was a reserve for the 2017 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.
The other three Tar Heels who won an NCAA title and went on to become champions in the NBA each won multiple titles at the professional level.
Two members of the 1982 national champions were enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame after winning multiple NBA titles.
James Worthy was a star on UNC’s 1982 national championship team, and led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships in 1985, 1987 and 1988, winning NBA Finals MVP honors in 1988.
Michael Jordan went on from hitting the game-winning shot in the 1982 national championship victory over Georgetown to become an NBA legend. He led the Bulls to NBA titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998, earning NBA Finals MVP honors in all six of those seasons.
After being a key part of Carolina’s 2009 national championship team, Danny Green won titles in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs, in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors and in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bradley was a reserve for UNC during his only college season, averaging 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Pacers are his fifth NBA team. The Los Angeles Lakers made him the 28th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, then traded Bradley to the Utah Jazz. He has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Chicago Bulls, as well as three G League teams.
After playing 12 games this season in the G League with the Atlanta Hawks’ affiliate, College Park Skyhawks (averaging 16.8 points and 12.2 rebounds), Bradley signed a 10-day contract with the Pacers on March 2 and a second 10-day contract on March 13 before signing a deal for the rest of the season on March 23.
His best game this season was 14 points and 14 rebounds in a 126–118 double-overtime win at Cleveland on April 14. He’s only played double-digit minutes twice during the playoffs, both in the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks: 15 minutes in Game 3 (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block) and 10 minutes in Game 4 (3 points, 1 rebound).
Photo via @Pacers
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