Former North Carolina basketball star Armando Bacot haunted Durham for five years.
The longtime Tar Heel played 11 games against the Blue Devils, most notably helping UNC defeat legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in both his final home game and his final NCAA Tournament game with the program. He notably finished the infamous Final Four game in 2022 with 11 points and 21 rebounds to end Coach K’s career. He’s one of the most hated North Carolina basketball players in Duke history.
He also grew up rooting for the Blue Devils.
In a Tuesday episode of the Run Your Race podcast, Bacot revealed that he started his basketball lifetime on the other side of the Tobacco Road rivalry.
“I went to the Duke basketball camp,” Bacot said. “I grew up a Duke fan. I loved Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker, those were my two favorite college players.
Bacot said the idea of committing to North Carolina, whom he hated growing up, came out of nowhere during the recruiting process.
“I was a diehard Duke fan,” Bacot insisted. “I hated Carolina.”
“I grew up a Duke fan. I loved Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker…I hated Carolina.”
– Armando Bacot
UNC wasn’t always Bacot’s first choice 😮 pic.twitter.com/LSm95N2OP9
— Tidal League (@TidalLeague) July 2, 2024
Theo Pinson, one of the podcast hosts, revealed he also cheered for Duke growing up and shared a funny story about having to contain his excitement during Austin Rivers’ legendary game-winner in Chapel Hill during an official visit.