Armando Linwood Bacot Jr. (born March 6, 2000) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Memphis Hustle The Memphis Hustle are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in the Greater Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi, and are affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team plays their home games at the Landers C ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

. He holds the program records for double-doubles and career rebounds. Over his 5-year career, Bacot played in a UNC-record 171 games.

High school career

Bacot attended Trinity Episcopal School in his hometown of

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. As a sophomore, Bacot averaged 11.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. As a junior, he averaged 24.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Before his senior year, Bacot transferred to

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a University-preparatory school, preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The organization is set across over 600 acres (243 ha) and features programs consisting of sport ca ...

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

. As a senior he averaged 12.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Bacot played in both the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

and 2019

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

Recruiting

Bacot was considered a five-star recruit in the 2019 class by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

and

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

, and a four-star recruit by

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

. On August 16, 2018, Bacot committed to playing

for

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

over offers from

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, Villanova, and VCU.

College career

Freshman season (2019–20)

On November 20, 2019, Bacot had 22 points and 14 rebounds in a 75–61 win over Elon. He had 23 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high six blocks in a 78–74 win over

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

on November 29. In a 74–49 loss to

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

on December 4, Bacot suffered a left ankle injury and was expected to miss some time. However, he returned for the following game, a 56–47 loss to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and scored 11 points. He sat out North Carolina's home victory against Wake Forest on March 3, 2020. As a freshman, Bacot averaged 9.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, shooting 46.9 percent from the floor. Armando also had 11 double-doubles, the second most by a Tar Heel freshman.

Sophomore season (2020–21)

As a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, shooting 62.8 percent from the floor. He was named third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). On April 6, 2021, he declared for the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. The NBA draft returned to Brooklyn after 2020 NBA draft, the pre ...

while maintaining his college eligibility. He withdrew his name from the draft pool in order to return to Chapel Hill for his junior season.

Junior season (2021–22)

On November 5, 2021, new UNC head coach

Hubert Davis Hubert Ira Davis Jr. (born May 17, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball, North Carolina Tar Heels men's team. Before his coaching care ...

named Bacot as team captain alongside sophomores R. J. Davis and

Caleb Love Caleb Khristopher Love (born September 27, 2001) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Arizona Wildcats. High school career Love attended Christian Brothers College High School in ...

. On January 8, 2022, Bacot posted career-highs of 29 points and 21 rebounds in a 78–54 win against

. Bacot picked up 23

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

s in the regular season, tying the UNC single-season record previously held by

Brice Johnson Jonathan Brice Johnson (born June 27, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Nelson Giants of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played college basketball for North Carolina, graduating i ...

. Bacot was a key performer in the Tar Heels' 94–81 upset over

Mike Krzyzewski Michael William Krzyzewski ( , ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, 1980 to 2021� ...

's final game in Cameron Indoor Stadium, scoring 23 points along with 7 rebounds. Four out of the five Tar Heel starters scored twenty-plus points in the game. Following the conclusion of the regular season, he was named First Team All-ACC, and finished runner-up the voting for ACC Player of the Year, behind Wake Forest's

Alondes Williams Alondes Louis Williams (born June 19, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Triton Trojans, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the Wake Forest Demon Deac ...

. On March 10, 2022, Bacot recorded his 24th double-double of the season, breaking the school record of 23 that had been set by

in 2016. On March 27, 2022, Bacot tied Tim Duncan's ACC single-season record with his 29th double-double and also passed Duncan (457) for the most rebounds in a single season in ACC history (since 1985–86). Entering the 2022 Final Four, Bacot had 475 rebounds in the 2021–22 season, which was 4th in NCAA history for a single-season (since 1985–86). North Carolina lost in the national championship game to Kansas. Bacot recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds, becoming the first player in tournament history to have a

in all six tournament games.

Senior season (2022–23)

Following the Tar Heels' stunning Final Four run in 2022, Bacot decided to return to Chapel Hill for his senior year. Along with Love, Davis, and Black, Bacot was part of a core for a team that earned the preseason No. 1 ranking. in the AP Poll. Despite the expectations, the team struggled throughout the season, going 23–10 and missing out on the NCAA tournament. Bacot, however, was one of the lone bright spots for the Tar Heels, earning first-team all-ACC honors and being named third team All-America. On January 21, 2023, in an 80–69 win against rivals

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

, Bacot surpassed two Tar Heel records. He passed

Tyler Hansbrough Andrew Tyler Hansbrough (born November 3, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons, as well as internationally. In college, Hansbrough was a star with t ...

for most rebounds in a career at UNC, and

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA' ...

for most double doubles in program history. On the season, he averaged 15.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.

Fifth year (2023–24)

Following his senior season, Bacot announced that he would use his fifth year of eligibility (granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and return to North Carolina for the 2023–24 season. Prior to the start of the season, Bacot was named a preseason All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. On November 6, 2023, Bacot scored 25 points and 13 rebounds in a 86–70 win against Radford. On November 12, 2023, Bacot scored 22 points and 20 rebounds in a 90–68 victory over Lehigh. On November 13, 2023, Bacot earned

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC) player of the week honors after averaging 23.5 points and 16.5 rebounds per game. On November 29, 2023, Bacot had another double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 100–92 win over

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. On January 2, 2024, Bacot scored his 2000th career point, making him the third player in school history to reach 2000 points and 1000 rebounds. On January 8, 2024, Bacot earned ACC Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive time. On January 17, 2024, Bacot scored 19 points and 7 rebounds in a 86–70 win against

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. On February 3, 2024, Bacot scored a double-double 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 93–84 win against archrival

. On February 17, 2024, Bacot scored another double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds in a 96–81 win against

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

Professional career

After going undrafted in the

2024 NBA draft The 2024 NBA draft was the 78th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft. Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft took place over two nights. This was the first NBA draft to be held on multiple nights since the draft ...

, Bacot joined the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

for the

2024 NBA Summer League The 2024 NBA Summer League (branded as ''NBA 2K25'' Summer League 2024 for sponsorship reasons) was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas ...

and on September 6, 2024, he signed with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. However, he was waived on October 19 and on October 28, he joined the

National team career

Bacot played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the

2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship The 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship was an international under-18 basketball tournament that was held from 10 to 16 June 2018 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The eleventh edition of the biennial competition, this is also the qualify ...

. He averaged 7.8 points and five rebounds, helping his team win the gold medal.

Career statistics

College

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, 32 , , 32 , , 24.5 , , .469 , , – , , .645 , , 8.3 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 28 , , 22.7 , , .628 , , .000 , , .661 , , 7.8 , , .8 , , .7 , , .9 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 39 , , 31.6 , , .569 , , .125 , , .670 , , 13.1 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 1.7 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 30.3 , , .554 , , .000 , , .665 , , 10.4 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 37, , 30.3 , , .540 , , .400 , , .781 , , 10.3, , 1.5, , .6 , , 1.5 , , 14.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 169, , 168, , 28.2, , .552 , , .200, , .688, , 10.1 , , 1.3 , , .6, , 1.3, , 13.9

Acting

In 2023, Bacot made a cameo in a season three episode of

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's ''

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...

''.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacot, Armando 2000 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Richmond, Virginia Centers (basketball) IMG Academy alumni McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Hustle players North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Power forwards