Before heading to the NBA, the UNC star freshman hit the campus gym for a surprise pickup game, solidifying a lasting legacy with the community he transformed.
Though Caleb Wilson’s time with North Carolina was short, the future NBA star made an impact on the program and school.
Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game before he suffered a hand injury on Feb. 10 that knocked him out of the season early. He suffered a finger injury when trying to make a return before the NCAA Tournament, and that ended his college career.
In April, Wilson returned to a UNC campus gym to play a pickup game with students.
During the NBA Combine this week, Wilson told Raymon Li that he played the pickup game because he wanted to leave a legacy at UNC.
"I mean, I love to play basketball, and you know, I really wanted to incorporate the students," Wilson said. "I feel like it's a big part of basketball, just making sure everyone feels involved, especially at UNC.
"I knew I was about to leave, so I just wanted to leave a mark that would kind of last on the community forever.”
Wilson was a good teammate after suffering the injury. Instead of just focusing on his NBA career, Wilson encouraged his teammates from the bench and was a vocal leader in the locker room.
Like he did at UNC, Wilson wants to be the catalyst for change for whatever franchise takes him in the first round.
"I'm going to change their franchise," Wilson said during an appearance on ESPN. "I'm going to change the culture of their program and I'm going to change the city, honestly. I'm a culture-changer. I did the same thing at North Carolina.
"We had a rough year the year before, but I was able to play, change the culture and I made the city live again. So, whatever franchise chooses to draft me knows they're going to get a winner, knows they're going to get a leader and knows they're going to get a culture-changer."
Wilson is expected to be one of the first four players taken in the draft. He still needs to develop, but he could be a game-changer for the NBA team that takes a chance on him.
UNC fans will be watching.