Hubert Davis
A sharpshooting Tar Heel guard who stepped from the broadcast booth to the head coach's chair, tasked with upholding a college basketball dynasty.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: May 17·Generation X
Biography
Hubert Davis walked on at North Carolina and became a three-point specialist under Dean Smith. He played twelve NBA seasons, setting the New York Knicks' franchise record for three-point percentage. After retiring, Davis worked as an ESPN analyst, offering thoughtful commentary on the game. In 2021, he accepted the head coaching job at his alma mater despite having no previous head coaching experience. Davis led the Tar Heels to the NCAA championship game in his first season, imposing his own passionate intensity on the program. His uncle, NBA star Walter Davis, had inspired his early love for basketball through radio broadcasts of UNC games.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Hubert was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hubert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Hubert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Appointed head coach of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team in 2021, leading them to the NCAA championship game in his first season.
- Holds the New York Knicks franchise records for single-season and career three-point field goal percentage.
- Played 12 seasons in the NBA for six different teams, averaging 8.2 points per game primarily as a shooting specialist.
Did You Know?
He was a walk-on player for the University of North Carolina basketball team before earning a scholarship.
He hosts a charity golf tournament that has raised millions for the UNC Children's Hospital.
His son, Elijah, is also a college basketball player.
““I don't want to be the first Black head coach at North Carolina. I want to be a great head coach at North Carolina.””
