Duke Basketball Legend Says He Would Transfer to UNC Today

Former Duke basketball national champion Jay Williams reluctantly admitted to being a fan of the way the Tar Heels play.

Photo credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Late in the broadcast of Kansas' 90-66 blowout road win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night, ESPN play-by-play announcer Jon Sciambi posed a tough question to three-year Duke basketball star and longtime hoops commentator Jay Williams. That's when the 2001 national champ and 2002 Naismith winner confessed the unthinkable.

Yes, the 42-year-old Blue Devil treasure suggested that if he were in college today, he could see himself in archrival UNC's shade of blue, playing for third-year head coach Hubert Davis and his uptempo, fourth-ranked Tar Heels (13-3, 5-0 ACC).

Here's how the conversation went down:

Sciambi: "If the transfer portal was open [when you played college basketball], where would you have gone?"

Williams: "Setting me up. So, back then, I would have gone to Georgetown. I would have played for John Thompson. If you're asking me today, whew...this is a tough one, because I don't know if I'll be allowed to go back home."

Sciambi: "Are you about to say North Carolina?"

Williams: "I just like the way they play. It's a fast-paced style of play. I like it. They allow RJ Davis to go."

Sciambi: "Holy cow!"

Williams: "What? What? You did this to me. This is your fault."

Sciambi: "This is straight-up awful announcing. Jon Sciambi got Jay Williams excommunicated from the Duke family on Tuesday night."

Williams: "You know, I just got back in 'The Brotherhood.' I just got back, and now, I got a feeling I'm going to be out."

His admission shouldn't come as too much of a shock. After all, Williams excels at stirring up emotions on the air. That's his job.

And he recently praised the Tar Heels to the extent of breaking down why they are one of the top title contenders in his eyes.

Plus, before pledging allegiance to Duke basketball in the late 1990s and becoming one of now-13 Blue Devils to get their jersey retired, Jay Williams (No. 22) was a Tar Heel enthusiast as a kid. He reminded folks of that in April 2021 following the announced retirement of three-time national champion head coach Roy Williams.

My Duke people WILL NOT like this but I grew up a @UNC_Basketball fan.. sad to see a legend retire in Roy Williams. Roy has always been a class act & is one of the greats. Big decision time for a program in which I admire & always respected in our rivalry.

— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) April 1, 2021

Considering Williams' Duke basketball greatness, a permanent ban from "The Brotherhood" would be unjust. However, given how utterly unpleasant his statements about UNC must be to the bulk of Blue Devil ears, some temporary suspension might be in order.

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