NBA All-Star Antawn Jamison joins UNC as visiting professor of sports communication

Jamison returns to UNC as a visiting professor

Two-time NBA All-Star Antawn Jamison, a former Tar Heel standout, is co-teaching MEJO 206, a sports communication course at the University of North Carolina's Hussman School of Journalism and Media, this semester. He is serving as a visiting professor of the practice alongside Livis Freeman, a distinguished associate professor of sports communication. The role marks his formal return to Chapel Hill in a teaching capacity after 16 seasons in the NBA and subsequent work in broadcasting and front-office positions.

A different role from his playing days

Jamison acknowledged a learning curve on his first day in front of students, noting initial uncertainty about how the class would receive him. "First day I was a little nervous. 'These kids don't know who I am.' They don't want to hear me talk, but it's been smooth," he said. "I'm just going off my experiences. Things I've experienced. Just after class, having these students come in and ask questions to get as much information as possible." His stated focus is drawing on playing and post-playing career experience to give students a view of the sports industry beyond on-court play.

Hansbrough guest appearance links the course to its prior lineup

Former Tar Heel great Tyler Hansbrough, who previously co-taught the same course with Freeman as a visiting professor, joined one of Jamison's class sessions as a guest. The appearance connects the current offering to a predecessor instructor and underscores a recurring pattern of former UNC players contributing to the sports communication curriculum.

Carolina credentials and NBA résumé

Jamison was the unanimous National Player of the Year in 1998 and was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. He was the first player in ACC history to earn first-team All-ACC honors as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and in three seasons at Carolina he scored 1,974 points with 1,027 rebounds while helping lead the Tar Heels to consecutive ACC Tournament championships and Final Four appearances in 1997 and 1998. He went on to play 16 NBA seasons, earning All-Star selections in 2005 and 2008 and scoring 20,042 career points. After retiring, he worked as a television analyst covering the Los Angeles Lakers and held scouting and front-office roles with the Lakers and Washington Wizards; he is one of eight players in UNC men's basketball history to have his jersey retired.