Harrison Barnes is one of the first NBA personalities to reach out to the legendary Roy Williams following news that the 70-year-old has called time on his career as a head coach. Barnes, who himself spent two years under the tutelage of Williams in North Carolina, took to Twitter to honor his former coach.

Barnes sent a brief yet endearing message for Williams, who the Sacramento Kings forward clearly holds in very high regard:

UNC's official Twitter account announced Williams' decision to retire on Thursday. The legendary shot-caller spent 33 years as a coach in the NCAA in what is regarded as one of the most successful careers in the history of college basketball. Williams' time at the helm for the Tar Heels did not end in ultimate success, though, with UNC suffering a first-round exit at the hands of Wisconsin in this year's NCAA tournament.

As for Barnes, he played two years for UNC before entering the NBA Draft in 2012. As a sophomore, Barned averaged 17.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game under Williams.

Barnes saw his name floated around in the rumor mill prior to the trade deadline, but in the end, the Kings opted to keep him on board. There was some reported interest from other teams, but ultimately, Sacramento decided that the 28-year-old still figures significantly in their plans moving forward.

In case you're interested, Harrison Barnes has been making quite a name for himself in the NFT space. He recently put in a significant investment in the NBA Top Shot ecosystem, making him the most prominent NBA player within the fast-growing digital trading cards platform.