Greatest Duke basketball players of all time, ranked

Yesterday at 08:34 PM

With five national championships to their name, Duke basketball is one of the most prestigious teams in college basketball history. They are a blue blood program that has dominated since the ’90s. Nowadays, they regularly have the best recruiting classes in the nation, illustrated by the fact that three of their freshman – Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach – will likely be lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Those three have led Duke basketball to the Final Four yet again in this year’s NCAA Tournament. They are far from the only legends who have suited up in Durham, North Carolina, though. In fact, some of the best college basketball players in history have played for Duke. So, check out the gallery to see the 15 best Duke basketball players of all time.

1. Christian Laettner, 1988-92

Christian Laettner is one of the most important revolutionaries in college basketball. Duke is where they are at today because of the superstar who was so hated in college basketball. Laettner is one of the biggest villains in sports history, but he is also certainly one of the best college basketball players ever.

Laettner led Duke to becoming the first team to win back-to-back national championships after the March Madness field was expanded to 64 teams. He hit some of the biggest shots in NCAA history along the way. Most notably, he hit “The Shot” in the 1992 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. While down by a point in overtime with only two seconds left, Laettner received a three-quarter court pass before making a dribble move and connecting on a time-expiring jump shot to beat Kentucky. It is widely regarded as the best play in college basketball history, the best game-winner in March Madness history, and the cherry on top of the best game in college basketball history.

Additionally, Laettner hit another Elite Eight overtime game-winner at the buzzer in 1990 and the game-winning free throws in the Final Four in 1991. Laettner had the ultimate clutch gene, but his overall numbers are quite impressive, too. The power forward ranks inside of the top 10 in Duke history in blocks (145), points (2,460), steals (243), and rebounds (1,149).

Laettner was so good in college that he was even selected to Team USA’s Dream Team. You can’t tell the story of college basketball without mentioning Laettner.

2. JJ Redick, 2002-06

JJ Redick has a case as the best college basketball player of the 21st century, regardless of school. The now Los Angeles Lakers coach took the mantle from Laettner as a hated but dominant Dukie. Redick is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in college basketball history. His 457 career makes from behind the arc are over 100 more than the next closest in program history.

While Redick was used primarily as a marksman during his NBA career, he could do so much more in college. Not only is he the Duke 3-point leader, but he has the most overall points (2,769) as well. Redick was incredibly efficient. He shot 40.6% from deep for his career, and his 91.2% clip from the free throw line ranks first in Duke history as well. Redick even had the best scoring mark in a single season (26.8) in Duke history.

The 2006 National College Player of the Year is one of the best college basketball players ever who didn’t win a championship. He was a two-time First-Team All-American, two-time ACC Player of the Year, and two-time ACC Tournament MVP. Redick’s numbers are better than Laettner’s, but the lack of a championship ring is a big blemish on his resume. Winning March Madness is no easy feat, but it is something that a lot of the best Duke basketball players ever have accomplished. If Redick were a champion, he would have arguably been the best Blue Devils player ever.

3. Grant Hill, 1990-94

While Laettner was the better player than Grant Hill when Duke won back-to-back championships, Hill eventually morphed into the more dominant player. In fact, had it not been for injuries derailing his professional career, Hill could have become one of the best NBA players ever.

Hill was actually the player who inbounded the ball to Laettner before “The Shot,” and the pass was nearly as impressive as the jumper. After winning two championships, Hill was twice named an All-American. The uber-athletic Hill could truly do it all. His versatility allowed him to surpass 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals, and 100 blocks in his career.

4. Bobby Hurley, 1989-93

The third star on Duke’s back-to-back teams was Bobby Hurley. The six-foot player is arguably the greatest point guard in college basketball history. His status as a floor general is confirmed by his program-leading 1,076 career assists. In fact, he is the NCAA’s all-time leader in assists. Four of the five best assist-per-game seasons in Duke basketball history belong to Hurley.

Hurley wasn’t overly athletic or physically imposing, but he was a tough player and got the job done. He had a knack for getting his teammates involved unlike anyone before or after him in college basketball. Laettner was the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1991, but Hurley was named the best player during March Madness the following year.

5. Jason Williams, 1999-2002

Jason Williams, who went by Jay Williams after being drafted second overall in 2002, had a great career at Duke before his professional career was taken away from him due to a motorcycle accident. Williams was dominant in his three college seasons, and he is the first player to show up on this list who left school early and didn’t have a full four-year collegiate career.

Williams won the national championship during his sophomore year. He was a First-Team All-American and 21.6 point-per-game scorer that year, and he scored 25.7 points per game during the NCAA Tournament. Williams put up a similar production the following season as well. Even with all of the effort that he put into scoring, he is still the best assist man not named Hurley to ever suit up for the Blue Devils.

Of all 10 college basketball national Player of the Year winners from Duke, Williams is the only player to be named the best player in the country by at least one outlet twice. Williams was the NABC Player of the Year in 2001 and the consensus Player of the Year in 2002.

6. Danny Ferry, 1985-89

Danny Ferry just missed out on the Duke championship that succeeded his collegiate career, but his teams still made three Final Fours. The 1989 college basketball national Player of the Year was yet another uber-versatile who could truly do it all.

Ferry is top 10 in career assists (506), rebounds (1,003), and points (2,155) in Duke history. Ferry scored a career-high 58 points in a game against Miami. That is 10 more points than the next-highest single-game scorer in Duke history.

7. Shane Battier, 1997-2001

Shane Battier was named the college basketball national Player of the Year alongside his teammate, Williams, in 2001.

While Williams was the scorer for Duke at the turn of the century, Battier made his money as one of the best defensive players in collegiate history. Most great defenders thrived because of elite rim protection. While Battier could block shots, he was most known for locking up players at the point of attack on the perimeter.

Battier’s 254 career blocks and 266 career steals both rank second in program history, which is a truly remarkable feat. In addition to creating turnovers by swatting shots back and jumping the passing lanes, Battier also thrived at taking charges.

Battier not only won the national championship during his senior season, but he always won ball games throughout his career. His .897 career winning percentage is the best in Duke history for players with at least 100 games played.

8. Dick Groat, 1949-52

Dick Groat was Duke’s first megastar. Groat stuffed the stat sheet during his playing days in the ’40s/’50s. The 7.6 assists Groat had per game in 1952 are the most ever in a Duke season besides when Hurley had 8.2. Groat also had seasons averaging 26 and 25.2 points per game with the Blue Devils.

Groat joins Redick as one of two Duke players who scored 40-plus points on three separate occasions. He even held the NCAA single-season scoring record at one point before Pete Maravich took over college basketball. Despite all of that, Groat would go on to be known for baseball. He was an eight-time MLB All-Star.

9. Carlos Boozer, 1999-2002

Carlos Boozer won the 2001 national title alongside Battier and Williams. He was the muscle and enforcer of that team.

Boozer thrived scoring inside, and he could dish out punishment when need be. Boozer was uber-efficient, making his shots at a .631 rate throughout his career. That is by far the best mark in Duke history.

10. Art Heyman, 1960-63

Art Heyman was the first college basketball national Player of the Year in Duke history. That 1963 season, he scored 24.9 points and secured 10.8 rebounds per game. Amazingly, that junior campaign was actually the worst season of his career from a statistical perspective. Heyman scored and rebounded more in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Heyman led Duke to their first Final Four appearance and is one of only three players who were three-time unanimous All-ACC selections. Tyler Hansbrough and David Thompson were the other two.

11. Johnny Dawkins, 1982-86

Johnny Dawkins only trails Redick in career scoring for Duke. He scored 2,556 points during his collegiate career, making him one of only 85 players in NCAA history to surpass the 2,500-point threshold. Dawkins was the Naismith Player of the Year in 1986.

12. Shelden Williams, 2002-06

A lot of the Duke record books are littered with players named Williams. Jay Williams was already discussed, and Mark Williams has the highest career box plus/minus (11.8) in Duke history. Sheldon Williams was pretty good, too. The big man is by far Duke’s best shot blocker (422), and he is the program’s leading rebounder (1,262), too.

13. Grayson Allen, 2014-18

Grayson Allen was most known for being an irritant and dirty player during his Duke Days. Those are labels he hasn’t been able to shake in the NBA, even after he has stopped tripping opponents. Despite all of that, he was pretty talented, too. Allen was only a bench/role player when Duke took home the title in 2015. Nonetheless, he still became a champion.

After that, Allen became a top option for Duke, even during a time when they were recruiting the best players in the nation. His best year was his 21.6 point-per-game sophomore season.

14. Jon Scheyer, 2006-10

Jon Scheyer is Duke’s current head coach. Replacing Mike Krzyzewski was no easy feat, but Scheyer already has Duke back in the Final Four. He was a Duke legend long before he took over at the helm, though. His playing days came in Durham as well, and Scheyer used an incredible 3-point stroke to become the leading scorer on a national championship team.

15. Zion Williamson, 2018-19

Zion Williamson did not have a long collegiate career. In fact, he only played one season of college ball before becoming the first overall NBA Draft pick. Williamson was arguably the most hyped-up high school player since LeBron James, and he more than lived up to the hype.

Williamson had one of the best freshman seasons in college basketball history. He became only the third of four freshmen to be named the best college basketball player in the nation. Williamson also had a box plus/minus of 20.1 during his lone Duke campaign. That is the best season not just in Duke history but in college basketball history overall. With unmatched leaping/dunking ability, Williamson didn’t seem like a real-life player in college. He was a man amongst boys despite his status as a freshman.

There were a lot of tough cuts when deciding the greatest Duke basketball players ever. Elton Brand was a national college basketball Player of the Year, and he didn’t even show up on this list. Kyle Singler was another star that there just wasn’t room for here. Additionally, one-and-done stars, such as Jayson Tatum, Marvin Bagley, R.J. Barrett, Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Jabari Parker, Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero, and Luol Deng were all great, too, but they just didn’t play long enough to compete with the other players on this list.

Even Cooper Flagg, who is the likely first overall 2025 NBA Draft pick, has had one of the best freshman seasons ever. Flagg followed in Williamson’s footsteps as a Duke freshman college basketball national Player of the Year winner.

The post Greatest Duke basketball players of all time, ranked appeared first on ClutchPoints.