Gastonia native Leonard Hamilton receives NC Sports Hall of Fame nod

Add yet another feather to the cap of Gastonia basketball icon Leonard Hamilton.

The former Division I basketball coach will take his place among other sporting legends of the “Old North State,” Hamilton selected for the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame’s 2026 induction class.

Advertisement

Hamilton is part of a class including former PGA Tour player Chip Beck; three-time Winter Olympian and four-time world champion Heather Bergsma; former all-NFL selection with the Cincinnati Bengals Louis Breeden; University of North Carolina basketball national champion Tyler Hansbrough; Winston-Salem State football legend and former NFL player Richard Huntley; American tennis player and 2012 Olympian John Isner; late basketball coach and NCHSAA Hall of Famer Norvell Lee; MLS Cup champion and High Point native Eddie Pope; Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson; and legendary Cary High wrestling coach Jerry Winterton.

WHO'S WHO OF STARS: Stars shine bright over Gastonia; these big names came from Gaston County

TWICE THE HONOR: FSU men's basketball to honor Leonard Hamilton against his alma mater UT Martin

The group will be inducted Friday, May 1, at the Sheraton Four Seasons Convention Center in Greensboro.

Advertisement

Hamilton retired as a college basketball coach following the 2024-25 season, leading programs at Oklahoma State, Miami (Florida) and Florida State to 660 wins over the course of his career. His footprint was particularly immense at Florida State, where the Gastonia native had a program-record 456 wins, as well as ACC regular season (2020) and tournament (2012) titles. Hamilton’s 1999-2000 Miami team earned a share of the Big East championship.

During his career, Hamilton was named UPI National Coach of the Year (1995), two-time Big East Coach of the Year (1995, 1999) and three-time ACC Coach of the Year (2009, 2012, 2020). He was also the recipient of the 2021 Ben Jobe Award, an honor annually presented to the top minority head coach in Division I basketball.

The Gastonia native also served as coach of the NBA’s Washington Wizards (2000-01).

Part of the first all-Black graduating class at Gastonia’s Highland High in 1966, Hamilton cut his teeth as a player at Gaston College, scoring 971 points during his two-year career before moving on to Tennessee-Martin to finish his college career.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia's Leonard Hamilton part of 2026 NC Sports Hall of Fame class