Caleb Wilson’s UNC pick already looks like a major miss if recent history is right
When five-star forward Caleb Wilson spurned Kentucky for North Carolina on TNT's Inside the NBA, it raised eyebrows — and a few tempers — in Big Blue Nation. But beyond the momentary sting, there’s a growing sense that Wilson’s decision might age poorly. A very short timeline already makes that case.
Let’s start with the numbers. Since Vince Carter left UNC in 1998, no graduate from the school has made an NBA All-Star Game since 2007, and that was Carter himself. That’s over 15 years of drought from a program that markets itself as a hoops factory. Meanwhile, Kentucky has become the sport’s modern gold standard.
Mark Pope’s program is fresh off putting two players into 2nd round picks —Koby Brea and Amari Williams — in the 2025 NBA Draft. That makes 37 first-rounders and 15 lottery picks during the Calipari era alone. The pipeline is still gushing, and Pope hasn’t missed a beat.
UNC? Their last top-five pick was Marvin Williams back in 2005. Their last No. 1 overall pick? Brad Daugherty in 1986 — a full generation before Wilson was born.
That’s not to say Carolina can’t develop players. But in the modern era of NBA-focused recruiting, Kentucky is still the only program turning promise into paychecks on a yearly basis.
Wilson is a talented prospect, no doubt. But in choosing Chapel Hill over Lexington, he walked away from a proven fast track to the league — one that’s tailor-made for a player of his skill set.
Maybe he’ll prove the doubters wrong. Maybe he’ll be the one to break UNC’s All-Star drought. But if he flames out or fades into the crowd, Big Blue Nation will be left wondering what could’ve been — and he might, too.
Lexington doesn’t just build players. It builds stars. Wilson could’ve been the next.