Duke basketball star Kyle Filipowski, UNC's Armando Bacot to be teammates in NBA

Two Tobacco Road rivals will join forces during the NBA's Summer League
Mar 9, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke basketball forward Kyle Filipowski and UNC basketball center Armando Bacot
Mar 9, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke basketball forward Kyle Filipowski and UNC basketball center Armando Bacot / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
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It was a strange two days for Duke basketball star Kyle Filipowski after he was not selected in the first round of the NBA Draft and ended up being the second pick of the second round by the Utah Jazz.

Filipowski was seen leaving the Barclays Center on Wednesday night dejected as rumors swirled on social media as to why he was not chosen in the first round. Some draft experts had the 7-footer projected as a lottery selection early in the draft process as his stock decreased over the last two months.

However, the consensus Second Team All-American found a home with the rebuilding Jazz and the potential to earn a significant amount of playing time early in his career.

He will participate during the NBA Summer League, beginning in early July, and join forces with a former heated rival in North Carolina center Armando Bacot.

Bacot went undrafted and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Jazz shortly after the NBA Draft completed on Thursday evening that secures him a spot on the Utah Summer League roster.

Given the rivalry between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels, the two standout players had trash talking moments against each other over the last two years, which was highlighted this season in Chapel Hill when Bacot converted a 3-point play against Filipowski that drew celebrations from the North Carolina bench as the Tar Heels emerged victorious.

It's rare that a player given an Exhibit 10 contract while going undrafted earns a two-way contract in the NBA with the same organization, but the possibility remains that Kyle Filipowski and Armando Bacot could not only be teammates in Summer League but in the NBA as well.

The first game for the Utah Jazz is on July 8 (9:00p.m. ET) in the Salt Lake City Summer League before playing in the Las Vegas Summer League the following week.

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