Dean Smith Will Included $200 for Each of His Players

I did a Fanshot for this earlier but now it deserves even greater attention.

In case you missed it, this Tweet from @ChestPassDemps on Twitter shows a letter to former Tar Heel Dante Calabria from Dean Smith's trust which included a check for $200. Smith had left instructions in his will for every player to receive a check as a final gift to them.

Coach Smith willed his trust to send a $200 check to each his former players following his passing. #DeanSmith pic.twitter.com/NyiBhU9taQ

— Jim Dempsey (@ChestPassDemps) March 26, 2015

SB Nation contacted Tim Breedlove, the lawyer handling Smith's estate who confirmed the letter was real and that a similar letter had been sent to 180 former UNC players.

I would imagine many of the players' reactions will be similar to what Serge Zwikker told ESPN's Darren Rovell

Former UNC center Serge Zwikker told me he teared up when he opened the $200 check from Dean Smith, says he won't ever cash it

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 26, 2015

The math comes out to about $36,000 but the magnitude of the gesture may be immeasurable. Dean Smith's loyalty to his players survives even his death.