The History of Duke Players and the NBA
There have been 91 players to see the floor in the NBA/ABA coming from Duke University. Of those players, 24 of them are still active players in the NBA. There have been four Blue Devils drafted #1 overall, and an incredible 16 players drafted within the first three picks of their respective drafts. This Dream Team will be based solely on stats and accolades accumulated in the NBA and certain players may be moved from their “standard” position in order to create the best rotation possible. Without further ado, what would the All-Duke NBA Dream Team Look like?
Starting Point Guard – Kyrie Irving
Running Point Guard for this All-Duke team is none-other than Kyrie Irving. Uncle Drew spent one year at Duke before being drafted #1 overall in the 2011 draft. He is a 7-time All-Star, 3-time All-NBA player, who is also a part of the extremely exclusive 50-40-90 club. On top of this, he hit one of the most iconic three-pointers in NBA Finals history, sinking that clutch shot from deep with under a minute-to-go in game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to beat the 73-9 Warriors. Irving is #1 in assists per game, #2 in points per game, and #3 in three-pointer made in the NBA for Duke players.
Starting Shooting Guard – Grant Hill
While Grant Hill played 82% of his career minutes at SF, the Duke forwards are stacked, so Hill slides to SG for this dream team. He played 39% of his minutes at SG from 2004-2007. Grant Hill spent four years at Duke (1990-1994) is a 7-time All-Star, 5-time All-NBA player, who is also in the Hall-of-Fame. Grant Hill’s free-agent decision in 2000 was likely the closest thing to LeBron James’ “Decision” since the NBA’s free-agent era began. Unfortunately his injuries allowed him to play in just 47 games in his first four seasons with Orlando and he never reached his top end potential. Regardless, he did remain an incredibly effective role player for his remaining 9 seasons. Grant Hill is #1 in total steals and assists, and #2 in minutes played, FGs made, and FTs made for Duke players.
Starting Small Forward – Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum joins Kyrie Iriving as the only other active Duke-NBA player on this list and will start at SF. Tatum spent one year at Duke in 2016 before being selected #3 overall in the 2017 NBA draft. He is a 2-time All-Star and made the 2019-2020 All-NBA 3rd Team. He has career averages of 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He also ups those averages in the playoffs to 21.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Tatum is #4 in points per game and minutes per game, as well as #10 in rebounds per game for Duke players.
Starting Power Forward – Carlos Boozer
Adding some grit and intensity to the Duke Dream Team is Carlos Boozer at the PF spot. Booz played at Duke from 1999-2002 and was a steal of a draft pick at 35th overall in the 2002 NBA draft. Boozer started his career in Cleveland but saw his career take off with the Utah Jazz, where he became a 2-time All-Star. He also made the 2007-2008 All-NBA team after averaging 21.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on 54.7% shooting. Boozer is #2 in total rebounds and rebounds per game, and #3 in total points and field goals made for Duke players.
Starting Center – Elton Brand
Rounding out the front-court, the starting center for the All-Duke NBA Dream Team is Elton Brand. E.B. spent two seasons at Duke In 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 before becoming the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft. Brand had an incredibly long career of 17 seasons, averaging 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds across that span. He became a 2-time All-Star and made the 2005-2006 All-NBA team. Elton Brand leads all Duke players in games played, minutes played, made field goals, total rebounds, and total blocks.
Backup Point Guard – J.J. Redick
While there are other notable PGs with more accolades in the NBA such as Jeff Mullins and Bob Verga, the dream team will actually have sharp-shooting combo-guard, J.J. Redick, plugging in at backup PG. Redick spent four seasons as a Blue Devil from 2002-2006, where he was also the Naismith Award Winner for the 2005-2006 season when he averaged 26.8 points per game. In the NBA, he was a reliable role player early on in Orlando and then averaged 15.0+ PPG every season from 2013-2020. Redick is #1 in made three-pointers, 3 in 3FG% (41.5%) for all Duke players and #17 all-time in 3FG% the NBA.
Backup Shooting Guard – Corey Maggette
At backup SG, we have the 6’6” very versatile wing, Corey Maggette. He spent one season at Duke in 1998-1999 and was teammates with Elton Brand and Shane Battier. The high-volume scorer was the #13 overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft and became a fringe-All-Star in the NBA. He had a couple of very good seasons with the Clippers, averaging over 20.0 PPG three times in Los Angeles. Maggette is #1 in attempted and made free throws and #6 in total points in the NBA for players from Duke.
Backup Small Forward – Shane Battier
Joining his fellow Duke teammate in the backup wing rotation is Shane Battier. The Batman was a four-year player with the Blue Devils from 1997-2001 and help Duke win the 2000-2001 National Championship. In the NBA he was a low-stats, high-impact role player with Memphis, Houston, and Miami. Battier made the All-Defensive team twice and was a 2-time NBA champion with Miami in 2012 and 2013. He is also highly-regarded as one of the best teammates in NBA history. He is #2 in total steals, #3 in total blocks, and #4 in games played and minutes played by Duke players.
Backup Power Forward – Luol Deng
Luol Deng was teammates with Carlos Boozer in Chicago for three and a half seasons, and for this All-Duke Dream Team, he and Booz will provide the 1-2 punch at Power Forward. Deng played one season at Duke in 2003-2004 and was teammates with J.J. Redick. The 6’9” forward became a 2-time All-Star and was on the 2011-2012 All-Defensive team. He played 15 seasons in the NBA and is #1 in minutes per game, #3 in minutes played, #4 in total points, and #5 in total steals and field goals made for Duke players.
Backup Center – Christian Laettner
Known best for being the man on the end of the bench for the USA Dream Team, Christian Laettner will now join the All-Duke NBA Dream Team to be the backup Center. Laettner is the only player in NCAA history to start in the Final Four all four of his college years, winning championships in both 1991 and 1992. In the NBA he was not as much of an icon but was still a capable big man. He averaged over 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in each of his first five seasons and was a 1996-1997 All-Star. Laettner is #4 in total blocks, total offensive rebounds, and made free throws in the NBA for Duke players.
Duke Blue Devils NBA Dream Team Depth Chart:
Kyrie Irving/J.J. Redick
Grant Hill/Corey Maggette
Jayson Tatum/Shane Battier
Carlos Boozer/Luol Deng
Elton Brand/Christian Laettner
Other Notable Players:
PG Johnny Dawkins
PG/SG Jeff Mullins
SF/PF Brandon Ingram
PG Bob Verga
PF Zion Williamson
SG/SF Mike Dunleavy
