While Jay Williams accomplished a lot in his three years playing basketball at Duke, it was apparently not enough to be considered one of the school’s 10 greatest players. And it’s safe to say, he took notice.
Fox Sports shared its list of the 10 greatest Blue Devil basketball players of all-time on Saturday. The list was, in order: Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, JJ Redick, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Shane Battier, Luol Deng and Bobby Hurley.
Who are the all-time best Duke basketball players?
We ranked the Top 10 Blue Devils. pic.twitter.com/cCe0yAs4UI
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) March 8, 2025
Williams, who now works at ESPN, responded to the snub on X (formerly Twitter) with a GIF.
https://t.co/liUrcNIzLk pic.twitter.com/s4I0vjFwRe
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) March 8, 2025
In his three years at Duke, Williams was a two-time first-team All-American, two-time first-team (and one-time third-team) All-ACC, the 2000 ACC Tournament MVP, a two-time NABC Player of the Year and a one-time National college player of the year. He was also part of Duke’s 2001 National Championship winning squad, along with two other players listed — Battier and Boozer.
His omission stands out particularly when compared to Tatum, Williamson and Deng, who were all one-and-done players with the Blue Devils and did not win a national championship. It also stands out when compared to Boozer, who had the same tenure at Duke as Williams. And while Boozer’s track record at Duke is nothing to sneeze at, it does not hold up to Williams’. If we’re including the NBA track record of players, Williams’ omission is easier to defend. His NBA career ended after a motorcycle accident following his rookie season. But if NBA careers are a significant factor, Laettner would not be in the top two.
Williams is not the only notable omission. It’s hard to argue against Johnny Dawkins. That said, Dawkins graduated in 1986 and nobody who left Duke before the school won its first national championship in 1991 was included. It’s not logical but it is consistent.
A school with Duke’s history is going to have some tough omissions. That’s a given. But Williams being left off is particularly egregious.
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