Kenny Smith Reveals His Thoughts on UNC's Next Coach

Kenny Smith is back for another round of Turner Sports' Final Four coverage this weekend. Before the action gets underway Saturday night, Smith will already have made his presence felt as part of Final Four Fan Fest.

The former NBA star and longtime broadcaster is part of the AT&T activation, lending his voice to help fans insert themselves into some of college basketball's biggest moments.

"I've worked with AT&T on a couple of occasions but this is a little bit different," Smith explained to Men's Journal. "It's a digital interactive experience, and my voice is there. You go through these games and those kinds of things, and I kind of guide you through it to be a successful hooper and get you inside of the game. With the fans, it's all interactive. It's a lot of shared moments. It's connecting fans with the game, so it kind of gives a connection of how you can feel if you were actually playing the game and you were in those moments."

Kenny makes his picks

There will also be plenty of big moments on the court this weekend, with Illinois and UConn facing off in one national semifinal followed by Arizona and Michigan in the other.

Before the tournament, Smith picked Michigan over Michigan State for the national title, but with the Spartans now out of the picture, he's taking UConn to reach Monday night's title game.

Smith has a close tie to the Huskies, as he and his brother have known UConn associate head coach Kimani Young since he was a child.

"I texted Kimani about this, I said, 'You never underestimate the heart of a champion,'" Smith said regarding the Huskies' stunning comeback win over Duke in the Elite Eight. "That was our our motto with the Rockets. And I think that's what's happening with UConn. You can never underestimate the heart of a champion, because they could figure out ways to get there.

"And then it really is a pick 'em game between Arizona and Michigan, but I just feel Michigan might have just a little bit more with Yaxel [Lendeborg]. But I could change my mind by the time the game starts on Saturday."

What's next for Smith's beloved Tar Heels

Before he became an NBA lottery pick and two-time Finals winner, Smith was an All-American at UNC as a senior in 1987. His son K.J. played for the Tar Heels under Roy Williams, and another son, Mallory, just committed to his father's alma mater.

UNC is looking for a new head coach after dismissing Hubert Davis. While Stephen A. Smith may have suggested Kenny Smith as an option in Chapel Hill, it's not going to happen.

"I told Stephen A that him mentioning my name was a little disrespectful because he mentioned it when Hubert still had a job," Kenny Smith said. "Also, I just went down on a visit, my son signed with Hubert Davis. We believe in Hubert. So we have a belief in Hubert that I actually said take my son...So I was saying that you mentioning my name is disrespectful while someone has the job."

Kenny Smith remains confident that the Tar Heels "are going to get it right" with their next coach, whether it's someone from inside or outside the Carolina family tree.

"The difference is it's kind of like they're coming into the family. We're not going into their family. So whomever comes, if they're outside of the family, they would understand that they're part of the family now," Smith said. "They'd have to do that, what's that thing when you're kids and you prick your finger? The blood oath? They know they have to take the blood oath, man. You're coming, you're taking a whole family with you. You're taking a history of a legacy. So whomever that might be, they'd have to understand it. That would be the only reason to come because they understand that."

At home on ESPN

After Turner Sports lost its NBA broadcasting rights agreement following the 2024-25 season, ESPN agreed to bring Smith, Charles Barkley and the rest of the Inside the NBA crew into the fold for studio coverage.

Smith has also appeared on First Take and other ESPN programs, telling Men's Journal the transition to the Worldwide Leader has been "more than seamless.

"What I do enjoy about the ABC-ESPN partnership is that they have an excitement that we kind of took for granted after a while," he said. "This is our job, we're coming to do this, we enjoy it, we're having a lot of fun. But when Charles says his joke that he's said for the 200th time, it's the first time that they heard it. And they're like, 'Yo, that's hilarious!"

"So there's an energy of newness in the building. It's like if you get a new car. You've driven a car your whole life, but when you get a new one, there's an excitement about it. And I think that that's what we have right now, at least I do. And I feel it. I feel that energy. And it's great to be part of that energy, that newness."