The name Armando Bacot will forever echo in Chapel Hill, but now the North Carolina big man is ready to carve out a new legacy overseas. After years of dominating the paint for the Tar Heels and grinding through the G-League, Bacot has secured a life-changing opportunity: a one-year contract with Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce worth over $1 million. For UNC fans, it’s a bittersweet moment—watching one of their most beloved stars trade Carolina blue for the bright lights of Istanbul—but it’s also a testament to Bacot’s resilience, loyalty, and undeniable talent that continues to open doors on the global stage.
The deal is just a one-year contract, but worth more than $1 million according to the report. Bacot played the 2024-25 season with the Memphis Hustle, the Memphis Grizzlies affiliate.
Bacot’s career could’ve been vastly different before he turned pro. Following the retirement of legendary coach Roy Williams in 2021, succeeded by Hubert Davis, Bacot said he almost transferred. If he did, he wouldn’t have been apart of the national title run the following winter.
“I was going to transfer after my sophomore year,” Bacot said. “I had a great year but Coach Williams had left. He said he was leaving on April Fools but I kind of had an idea before.”
Bacot was fresh off a solid sophomore season, finishing with an average of 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Had he gone on the open market, teams likely would have been lining up to sign him. But there was already a destination in mind, heading back to his hometown of Richmond.
“I was going to go to VCU,” Bacot said. “Which is crazy to think. I would have gone crazy in the A-10 too.”
Mike Rhoades was the head coach at VCU at the time, fresh off an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020-21. Bacot coming in would have brought a whole new dynamic to the Rams, who wound up having a nice season. 22-10 during the year but an early exit from the A-10 Tournament meant they were not going to the big dance. A spot in the NIT had to suffice.
Instead, Davis was able to convince Bacot to stay with North Carolina. And the rest is history.
“Coach Davis was named the coach,” Bacot said. “Coach Davis recruited me, the guy who always had a hand on my shoulder was I was down, always encouraging me. So Coach Davis said he was coming, it was a wrap. I knew I was staying at Carolina.”
