Dean Smith, the North Carolina basketball coaching great who won two national championships died “peacefully” at his home Saturday night, the school said in a statement.
Smith coached the Tar Heels from 1961-97. He retired as the winningest coach in the sport with 879 victories. He won NCAA titles in 1982 and 1993, and coached such players as Michael Jordan and James Worthy.
In a statement on Twitter released through his business manager, Jordan says Smith was “more than a coach — he was a mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it.”
The former NBA superstar and Charlotte Hornets owner says Smith taught him not only about the game of basketball, but about “the game of life.”
Dean Smith's recruiting letter to Michael Jordan #RIPCoach pic.twitter.com/B6lKPSlL3j
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 8, 2015
After his playing days at North Carolina, Jordan made numerous appearances alongside Smith.
Here’s a look back at their relationship through the years:
Former North Carolina player Michael Jordan, left, gives his former coach Dean Smith a kiss during halftime of a college basketball game between North Carolina and Wake Forest in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007. The 1982 and 1957 championship teams were recognized during a halftime ceremony. | AP Photo/Gerry Broome
Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan, left, laughs as he walks with former North Carolina coach Dean Smith, right, at halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Toronto Raptors in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2010. Jordan was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony. | AP Photo
CONTRIBUTING: ASSOCIATED PRESS
