Brandan Wright Becomes 15th North Carolina Player to Declare Early for NBA Draft

University of North Carolina basketball player Brandan Wright declared for the NBA Draft following his freshman season in 2006-07. Brandan Wright played in 37 of the 38 games played by North Carolina this past season and averaged 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game.

Brandan Wright topped 20 points in a game eight times and scored a season-high 24 points versus North Carolina State on February 21st. Brandan Wright had his best rebounding game of the year versus Gonzaza, when he pulled down 13 boards on November 22nd.

It was an impressive season for Brandan Wright, but how high will he go in the NBA Draft? Brandan Wright becomes the 15th player from the University of North Carolina to be an early entrant for the NBA Draft. The list of North Carolina players to declare early for the draft reads like a who's who of NBA stars. Here are the 14 players to leave North Carolina early before Brandan Wright and what they accomplished in the NBA.

Bob McAdoo, 1972: McAdoo was the second selection in the 1972 draft and went on to play 14 seasons and was elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame. McAdoo won the Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He won three straight scoring titles while a member of the Buffalo Braves and was the league's Most Valuable Player for the 1974-75 season, when he averaged 34.5 points and 14.1 rebounds per game. McAdoo won two NBA Titles as a member of the Showtime Lakers and after his NBA career he won titles overseas in Italy.

James Worthy, 1982: The first pick in the 1982 draft, Worthy played 12 seasons in the NBA, won three championships and became a member of the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame. A teammate of McAdoo's on the Showtime Lakers, Worthy was known for his performances in the playoffs and earned the nickname, Big Game James. Worthy left North Carolina after leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA Title in 1982, when he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. He later won the MVP of the 1988 Finals. A seven-time NBA All-Star, Worthy was named one of the league's 50 Greatest Players of All-Time in 1996.