North Carolina alum Kenny “the Jet” Smith has one request for whoever is hired as the Tar Heels' next basketball coach.

Smith, who played from 1983 to 1987 at UNC, spoke about the vacancy during the CBS halftime show of the Sweet 16 game between Purdue and Texas.

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“Hubert Davis was going to retire [as] a Tar Heel,” Smith said. “Whoever we [bring] in, they have to want to retire a Tar Heel.”

Smith did not mention who specifically he wanted to see the Tar Heels target as their next head coach.

CBS panelist Nate Burleson asked Smith about the possibility he could fill the vacancy.

“That vacancy … I thought that was, honestly, disrespectful,” Smith said in response.

Smith, 61, has zero coaching experience, even as an assistant.

There was speculation Smith could be interested in the UNC vacancy after he was apparently ill while providing TV analysis from the CBS studio for the March 19 Michigan-Howard game. The same night, VCU upset UNC in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead in the game.

On March 20, former WNBA star Renee Montgomery replaced Smith on-air.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has publicly stumped for Smith to become UNC’s head coach. Fellow analyst Charles Barkley has teased Smith about the possibility.  

On Thursday, Kenny Smith mentioned how legendary coaches Dean Smith and Roy Williams each retired at UNC. Kenny Smith said the North Carolina basketball program was in a “precarious” situation after firing Davis.

“First of all, coach Hubert Davis, thank you for your service and what you did for North Carolina basketball as a player and as a coach moved it forward.

“And, I think people forget that because of one game here and there.”

Kenny Smith mentioned assistant coaches Brad Frederick, Jeff Lebo, Sean May, Pat Sullivan and Marcus Paige. Each assistant coach also played at UNC.

“What that is, is you have lineage to every era of basketball that’s Carolina that was on that staff, including Hubert Davis,” Kenny Smith said. “Every era was connected, so that’s what makes us special.

“Forget all that blue-blood [conversation]. What makes Carolina a family is the connection all of those eras. We’re in one building at one time, and that makes everyone pay attention and have some animosity or some love for us.”

Related: UNC is searching for a new men’s basketball coach. Here’s who has to sign off on the new hire.

Kenny Smith also mentioned his concerns about UNC staff who have worked on behalf of the program for decades.

“So, when a new person comes in, if we hire supposedly outside the family, and this new person comes in, they might, ‘Oh, this guy was my guy, I want to bring him in as well,’” he said.

Kenny Smith’s son, Malloy Smith, is committed to playing next season at UNC. It's unclear if he will keep his commitment with UNC firing Davis.

Davis, 55, went 125-54 in five seasons as the head coach in Chapel Hill. He had four years remaining on his contract and is owed a buyout of more than $5 million. UNC said it would honor the terms of his contract. He played from 1988 to 1992 at UNC before a 10-year NBA career. He served as an assistant coach at UNC from 2012 to 2021 under Williams.