15 All-Time Best Duke Basketball Players
Before we get your letters, emails and X Tweets — or whatever they’re called — the reason Grant Hill is No. 1 on this list is because we’re counting college and pro careers and he is the only Dukie in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Case closed.
Until Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum provide similar credentials, Hill will remain the King of this Hill at Krzyzewskiville until further notice.
So here are our 15 all-time best Duke men’s basketball players.
1. Grant Hill
Though injuries stunted his career, Grant Hill is still the gold standard against how all Dukies are measured. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward is the only Blue Devils player in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, though other active alums surely will follow. The seven-time All-Star with a 1996 Olympics gold medal had a career 19.0 Player Efficiency Rating in 34,776 NBA minutes, but if you focus on his five All-NBA seasons — before the ankle injury — at ages 23 through 27 (1995-96 through 1999-2000) with the Detroit Pistons, Hill’s PER was 23.1 with per-game averages of 21.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 39.3 minutes per game. The Hall of Famer more than lived up to the hype after being a two-time NCAA champ (1991 and 1992) and two-time consensus All-American (1993 and 1994).
2. Jayson Tatum
The five-time All-Star moved up to No. 2 on this list after leading his Boston Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship. As a 26-year-old forward who has already appeared on four All-NBA squads and has two USA Basketball Olympic gold medals, Tatum is a leader of a Celtics team with dynastic potential with five present and former All-Stars locked and loaded for the present and future. The 6-8, 210-pound scorer (he averaged 27.6 points the last four seasons) played one season at Duke. After losing in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Tatum left as the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
3. Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving had an even shorter career at Duke than Jayson Tatum, playing nine games before injuring his right big toe, which kept him out until the NCAA Tournament. During March Madness, Irving led Duke to the 2011 Sweet 16 before going pro and being selected No. 1 in the 2011 NBA Draft. The 6-2, 195-pound point guard had success right away with the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming an eight-time All-Star and teaming with LeBron James to win the 2016 NBA championship — making the game-winning shot to boot in Game 7 against the defending champ Golden State Warriors. The three-time All-NBA scorer, who helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, has 13-year career averages of 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
4. Elton Brand
Elton Brand is the best NBA big man Duke has produced, with the 6-9, 275-pound power forward-center leading all Dukies in NBA minutes (34,910), win shares (109.6), rebounds (9,040) and blocked shots (1,828). The two-time All-Star also made the 2005-06 All-NBA second-team squad when he averaged 24.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks for the Los Angeles Clippers. Before he was the No. 1 pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Brand was the consensus national college player of the year as a sophomore at Duke after leading the Blue Devils to the championship game where they were upset by Connecticut.
5. Zion Williamson
Some may claim it is too soon to rank a 24-year-old pro on the top 5 list of all-time Duke greats. But in five NBA seasons, the 6-6, 284-pound forward has already eclipsed some elite benchmarks. Namely, Williamson is a 2021 and 2023 NBA All-Star with a career Player Efficiency Rating (24.8) higher than any Duke alum. The New Orleans Pelican already has career averages of 24.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 184 pro games. Lest we forget, before Zion became the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, he was the consensus national college player of the year as a freshman at Duke, leading his team to the Elite 8 in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
6. Carlos Boozer
Carlos Boozer enjoyed a successful career in the NBA as a two-time All-Star who is one of only five Duke alums to make an All-NBA squad, earning 2007-08 third-team honors as the Utah Jazz power forward. The 6-9, 258-pound Boozer is second in career rebounds (8,192) among Dukies, while posting 13-year pro averages of 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in 26,901 minutes. Boozer, who won a 2008 Olympics gold medal with USA Basketball, was an Associated Press third-team All-American at Duke, leading his team to the 2001 NCAA championship, along with future pros Shane Battier, Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy and Chris Duhon.
7. Jeff Mullins
Jeff Mullins was a three-time All-Star shooting guard who helped lead the Golden State Warriors to the 1975 NBA championship as a scorer off the bench at the end of his career. In his Warriors prime in the 1968-69 through 1970-71 seasons, Mullins averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 6-4, 190-pound guard was a consensus second-team All-American at Duke, leading his teammates his senior year to the 1964 NCAA Finals where they lost to UCLA. Mullins got another prize soon after as a member of the gold-medal-winning USA Basketball team at the 1964 Olympics.
8. J.J. Redick
J.J. Redick was one of the first elite Duke players to bring gravity and spacing to the NBA with a three-point shot that kept him thriving for 15 NBA seasons, averaging 12.8 points on .602 true shooting percentage. The 6-3, 200-pound shooting guard had stellar career plus-minus averages (+5.1 on-court; +4.3 on-off) that made his teammates better, thanks to the spacing provided by his 1,950 three-pointers (highest of any Dukie) and killer .415 three-point percentage. At Duke, Redick was the 2006 Naismith College Player of the Year, a three-time All-American and twice was a consensus first-team All-American.
9. Shane Battier
Like Redick, Shane Battier was also a plus-minus monster, making his teammates better from Memphis to Houston to Miami, where he ultimately won two NBA championships with the 2012 and 2013 Miami Heat. His standout plus-minus averages (+4.2 on-court; +5.3 on-off) from his elite 3-and-D wing position (two-time All-Defense selection and 38.4 percent career three-point shooter) is a big reason why the 6-8, 220-pounder is one of only four Duke players ever to play 30,000-plus minutes in the NBA (Brand, Hill and Luol Deng are the others). At Duke, Battier was a two-time consensus All-American and 2001 AP Player of the Year who led his team to the 2001 national championship, along with future pros Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer and Chris Duhon.
10. Luol Deng
Luol Deng had a most memorable freshman season at Duke in 2004, earning USBWA National Freshman of the Year honors before leading his team to the Final Four and then putting his name into the NBA Draft, where he was selected seventh by the Chicago Bulls. There, the 6-9, 237-pound forward began a 15-year career that saw Deng become a 2012 and 2013 All-Star with the Bulls, ultimately averaging 14.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in 902 NBA games and 30,941 minutes. His measure as a man often went beyond the statistics, best illustrated by his 2006-07 Sportsmanship Award (Joe Dumars trophy), 2011-12 All-Defense second-team selection, and 2013-14 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.
11. Christian Laettner
Christian Laettner had one of the most celebrated collegiate careers of any student-athlete, but fans sometimes neglect to notice the significance of his pro career as well. The No. 2 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, Laettner left Duke as a two-time national champion from the 1991 and 1992 teams and was the national player of the year his senior season. He also was a member of the famous 12-man Dream Team, winning a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. In the pros, Laettner logged 25,760 minutes, which ranks seventh among all Dukies, averaging career per-game marks of 12.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists for six NBA teams in 13 seasons. As an Atlanta Hawk, the 6-11, 235-pound power forward became a 1997 All-Star, averaging 18.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
12. Jack Marin
Jack Marin was a consensus All-American at Duke who led his team — with future pros Bob Verga, Mike Lewis, Steve Vancendak, Bob Riedy and Joe Kennedy — to the 1966 Final Four. As an 11-year pro, the 6-7, 200-pound small forward became a two-time All-Star, with the 1971-72 Baltimore Bullets (averaged 22.3 points and 6.8 rebounds) and 1972-73 Houston Rockets (averaged 18.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists). Marin finished with 24,590 minutes, ranking ninth among all Duke alums.
13. Brandon Ingram
In eight NBA seasons, Brandon Ingram has become a prolific scorer, averaging 20-plus points per game the past five seasons for the New Orleans Pelicans. The 6-8, 190-pound forward saw his game elevate when he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Pelicans, eventually earning 2020 All-Star honors before being named 2019-20 NBA Most Improved Player. As a Pelican, Ingram has averaged 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in that span. At Duke, before he was the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ingram was an honorable mention All-American as a freshman, ultimately leading the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16.
14. Bob Verga
Bob Verga made his professional mark in the ABA as a two-time All-Star guard for the 1967-68 Dallas Chaparrals as a rookie and 1969-70 Carolina Cougars. The 6-1, 190-pound shooting guard was named All-ABA first team in 1970 and finished fifth in the MVP voting after averaging 27.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists. At Duke, Verga was a consensus All-American with teammate Jack Marin, who both led their school to the 1966 Final Four.
15. Mike Lewis
Like Duke teammate Bob Verga, Mike Lewis made his pro mark in the ABA as well, becoming a two-time All-Star with the 1969-70 Pittsburgh Pipers and 1971-72 Pittsburgh Condors. The 6-8, 225-pound center averaged 14.5 points and 14.1 rebounds in those All-Star seasons. Lewis played six seasons in the ABA before retiring. In college, Lewis was an AP third-team All-American and led Duke to the 1966 Final Four, alongside fellow All-Americans Jack Marin and Bob Verga.
