When college basketball fans talk about historic programs that are also successful, Duke has to be mentioned. Especially considering, they have the best college basketball coach of all-time in Mike Krzyzewski. All-time, Duke has the fourth most national championships at five. The last time they won the National Championship was in 2015 led by Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook, Justice Winslow, and Tyus Jones. Eight out of the 12 players on that team made it to the NBA. In addition, they are also third in all-time Tournament wins with 126.
With a lot of success including National Championships and deep March Madness wins, Duke does a great job of recruiting top-tier talent and getting them to the NBA at the next level. Currently, there are 22 former Duke Blue Devils in the NBA and counting. However, all-time there are 99 former Blue Devils that have played in the NBA.
Best Blue Devil Of All-Time
When anybody thinks of the Duke Blue Devils, one of the first names mentioned, should be the greatest Blue Devil of all-time in Christian Laettner. The two-time NCAA National Champion, and four-time NCAA All-Region along with many other accolades and accomplishments was a force to be reckoned with at Duke. In his collegiate career, he averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and one block per game.
After being selected third overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992, he was nowhere near as dominant in the NBA as he was in college. However, he was still good in the NBA as he had a lengthy 13-year career and made it to the All-Star Game in the 1996-1997 season.
Who is the Most Accomplished Duke Alum?
Out of all 99 former Blue Devils to make it to the NBA, the most accomplished by far is Kyrie Irving. Irving took the league by storm ever since he was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011.
The nine-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, and 2016 NBA Champion has been one of the more prolific point guards in NBA History. Every time he steps on the court and people watch him play, it is almost like watching the Harlem Globetrotters with his incredible ball handling abilities. In addition to entertaining, he has also been one of the league’s best point guards.
As Irving is getting up there in age, now at 33 years old, injuries are starting to become a little more evident. However, when he is playing, he is still playing at a high level and one of the league’s premier point guards.
Who is the Best Duke Alum Currently?
As good as Irving is, there is currently an even better former Duke Blue Devil. That honor goes to the most recent NBA Champion in Jayson Tatum. Tatum is a six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, and played in integral part in taking the Boston Celtics to the 2024 NBA Finals and winning.
Ever since the 2021-2022 season, Tatum has arguably been a top-five player in basketball. However, he is still searching for his first MVP award as he has been close a few times. At just 27 years old, it looks like Tatum is going to be dominating the NBA for a long, long time.
Jayson Tatum at Duke showed exactly why he was built for the NBA. 😈
Credit: Frankie Vision pic.twitter.com/1gcy0QyQfg
— Duke Central (@duke_central) May 2, 2025
KEEP READING: Predicting Duke Men’s Basketball’s Star-Studded Starting Lineup for the 2025-26 Season
All-Time Duke Starting Lineup
Out of the many elite players from Duke and that made it to the NBA, there are tons of different ways you could go making an all-time starting five. However, this starting five is the best combination of elite scoring and athleticism. This all-time starting five was based off their collegiate and NBA careers. If it strictly was how they were in college, then the list would look different.
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: R.J. Barrett
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Paolo Banchero
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