On Tuesday, ESPN college hoops analyst and former Duke Blue Devil Jay Bilas took some answered some fan questions via TikTok. One of which, was “where does Len Bias rank in terms of players you played against at Duke?”
This got Bilas to thinking, and ultimately sharing the five best players he faced during his time in Durham.
And the toughest of them all… Virginia’s Ralph Sampson.
“People talk about Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga being a unicorn. But I’ve seen that unicorn before back in 1983 when I had to play against Ralph Sampson. 7-4, incredibly skilled. Fluid… could run the floor, handle the ball, pass it, shoot it, you name it.
Ralph Sampson was three-time National Player of the Year and had he not been injured several years into his NBA career, he would’ve put up incredible numbers in the NBA. He’s in the basketball Hall of Fame for a reason. He’s the best college player I ever played against.
Rounding out Jay Bilas’ top five was Michael Jordan at two, Lenny Bias at three, UNC’s Brad Daugherty at four and Rod Strickland at five.
Nothing wrong with that list.
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