Kenny Smith Comments on UNC Firing Hubert Davis

The Tar Heels fired the 55-year-old coach after five years in Chapel Hill.

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kenny Smith arrives on the red carpet before the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels fired head coach on Hubert Davis on Tuesday night after losing to the VCU Rams in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

It goes without saying that the decision has generated plenty of buzz amongst analysts and insiders. On Thursday night, during NCAA tournament coverage, North Carolina great Kenny Smith spoke for the first time since the news.

Smith's Thoughts

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis instructs his team against the VCU Rams in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

• “Yeah, we can talk about North Carolina,” Smith said during halftime of Texas vs. Purdue. “But that vacancy – I thought that was honestly disrespectful. But first of all, Coach Hubert Davis, thank you. Your service and what you did for North Carolina basketball as a player and as a coach, you moved it forward."

• "I think people forget that because of one game here and there. But I also think this is a precarious position for North Carolina and for us as Tar Heels. Because what makes us special, when you fire one person, that’s Hubert Davis. But when you have Coach [Brad] Frederick, you have Sean May, you have Jeff Lebo, you have Marcus Paige, you have Pat Sullivan."

Tim Miller (right) and daughter, Brittain Miller, 10, pose for a photo with Kenny Smith as he makes an appearance at the NCAA Men’s Final Four Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center on April 7, 2024, in Phoenix. | Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

• "What that is, is you have a lineage to every era of basketball that’s Carolina that was on that staff, including Hubert Davis. Every era was connected."

• “That’s what makes us special, Smith continued. "Forget all that ‘blue blood.’ What makes Carolina family is the connection of all of those eras were in one building at one time. That’s makes people pay attention and have some animosity or some love for us.”

Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Smith explained how the Tar Heels' administration needs to prioritize a coach that will be there for the long haul. The NBA analyst preferred if North Carolina hired within the family, but acknowledged that is unlikely the case.

• “The other part of that is the secretaries. They’ve been there for 10 years,” Smith explained. “The equipment managers, the strength and conditioning person – decades. So, when a new person come in, if we hire supposedly [from] outside the family and this new person comes in, they might [say], ‘Well, this guy was my guy. I want to bring him in, as well.’"

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis in the huddle with his team during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

• “I will say this. Dean Smith retired as a Tar Heel," Smith continued. "Roy Williams retired as a Tar Heel. Hubert Davis was going to retire a Tar Heel. Whoever we come in, they have to want to retire a Tar Heel. I don’t care what that means. You don’t want to look for, ‘Oh, [what] J.J. Redick has done in LA. I want to be a Laker.’ You retire a Tar Heel, the next person.”