Former North Carolina basketball star Bill Chamberlain has died, the UNC basketball Twitter account announced on Monday. He was 75 years old.
Chamberlain played at North Carolina from 1969-72. He was the MVP of the 1971 NIT and an All-American in 1972. That year, he helped the Tar Heels reach the Final Four.
The Long Island, New York native was the second Black player ever recruited to North Carolina by legendary Tar Heels coach Dean Smith, according to The News & Observer.
Chamberlain went on to play in the ABA and NBA for a short amount of time, appearing in 28 games for the Phoenix Suns during the 1973-74 season. Chamberlain averaged 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for the Suns.
During his time in the ABA, Chamberlain played for the Memphis Tams and Kentucky Colonels.
His professional basketball career was reportedly cut short due to a back injury.
Bill Chamberlain led North Carolina to the NIT title when he won the MVP of the tournament in 1971. He reportedly outplayed Julius Erving at Madison Square Garden during the NIT, according to The News & Observer. The N&O reports that Chamberlain scored 34 points in the NIT championship against Georgia Tech to help UNC clinch the championship.
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