UNC Basketball One-And-Done Engages in Hilarious Rivalry Smack Talk

Former UNC basketball big man Day'Ron Sharpe couldn't take his Wolfpack teammate seriously in a rivalry debate.

Author:
Matt Giles
Oct 9, 2023 5:55 PM EDT

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With five former Tobacco Road college players on their training camp roster, including UNC basketball's Day'Ron Sharpe and Cam Johnson, the Brooklyn Nets tip off their four-game preseason slate against the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. ET Monday.

Last week, the franchise's social media team gathered Sharpe, former NC State guard Dennis Smith Jr., and former Duke forward Harry Giles III (the other Blue Devil in Brooklyn is 2022-23 one-and-done Dariq Whitehead) in front of the camera and instigated what turned out to be a comical rivalry argument.

Sharpe's reaction to Smith, whose plea to respect NC State centers on the Wolfpack hand signal, is gold. Check it out:

ADMIN: "NC State, Duke, UNC, who's the best?"

Smith: "The only one that got something you can throw up [with your hands]. Ask them what they throw up. How you throw up UNC and Duke?"

Sharpe: "You see that he was the first one to say something, right? He knows NC State is the worst. I ain't even got to say nothing."

Smith: "They beat y'all."

Sharpe: "Who?"

Smith: "NC State."

Sharpe: "We beat y'all too. We played NC State. I had 17 and 15."

Giles: "I beat Carolina twice."

Smith: "See, I can hold up a Wolfpack. What can they hold up? They can't hold up nothing."

Sharpe: "Look, look, L's. This is what it was. L's [for NC State] when I was in school."

They're all three teammates now. But they will never be on the same side in rivalry debates, nor should they be (although Smith may want to work on concocting a better argument).

Day'Ron Sharpe hasn't averaged over 13 minutes per game in his two years with the Brooklyn Nets. However, he's still only 21 years old and, judging by early reports, seems in line for more playing time this go-round.

Furthermore, it's worth noting that the UNC basketball product, who went No. 29 at the 2021 NBA Draft following his one-and-done campaign with the Tar Heels, has been relatively efficient off the bench in his combined 80 regular season appearances as a pro. He's averaged 4.7 points, 4.2 boards, and 0.6 blocks while shooting 55.9 percent from the field.