Tyler Hansbrough stood among the most decorated college players of the 2000s, collecting nearly every major individual honor along the way. In his senior year, he led North Carolina to a national title, averaging 20.7 points and 8.1 rebounds, while the Tar Heels dropped just four of their 38 games.
Hansbrough also has a reputation for being a tough-nosed blue-collar worker. For Danny Green, his teammate for four years at Chapel Hill, “Psycho T” is the type of guy you want on your side in a battle.
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“He was very quiet, very introverted, and he was very to himself. He was intense when it came to the weight room and on the court,” Green said in the All the Smoke podcast. “He was one of those guys who didn’t make friends a lot. Everybody was an enemy… But he was the guy you want to go to battle with. He was not scared of nobody, no matter who it was. He will be there to fight for you.”
Good, but not great
Hansbrough joins a long list of college basketball legends with a so-so NBA career. He lasted only seven years in the Association, averaging 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in just under 17 minutes of action. The ACC’s all-time leading scorer never captured that touch in the big league, as most of his matchups were taller and stronger than he was.
Nobody questions Hansbrough’s effort every night, but that wasn’t enough once he got to the NBA. He never really added much to his offensive game beyond what he already had—banging inside, drawing fouls, and outworking people. That worked in college, but defenders were less likely to fall for the same tricks in the pros.
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It was hard for him to stay on the floor without a steady jumper or reliable moves outside the paint. He became more of a role player, an energy guy off the bench, but as the league moved toward skill and spacing, he didn’t have the tools to keep up.
“I do think if the league isn’t as 3-point-driven and small-ball-driven, I’d probably still be playing right now,” Hansbrough admitted in 2019. “I still think I can play very competitive basketball, but the NBA has changed in a way that doesn’t fit my game.”
The guy Psycho T did not want to mess with
Even though “Icy Hot” prefers Hansbrough to have his back in any confrontation, the Missouri native knew how to back down from one if he saw fit. In a 2013 preseason game when Tyler was with the Toronto Raptors, he was involved in a scuffle with New York’s Metta World Peace. MWP made contact with Hansbrough’s back and continued to make a play on the ball after the whistle.
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Hansbrough, who was known for his short temper, quickly turned around only to find a snarling Artest breathing down his neck. He backtracked and mouthed, “My bad,” as cooler heads prevailed. Speaking about that altercation, Hansbrough wasn’t afraid to admit he didn’t want any smoke with the guy who ignited the Malice in the Palace.
“I felt like somebody bumped me in my back, and I was like, ‘No way,” Hansbrough recalled in The Glory Daze by Johnny Manziel. “I was pissed, I was ready, so when I turned around, I saw it was Ron. I was like, ‘I’m not gonna mess with Ron.’ There was no way I’m gonna mess with Ron. Ronn is gonna get me back if I do something in some capacity, whether now or later on in the year. He’s gonna take my head off if I try to fight.”
Although his NBA career never reached the same heights as his college exploits, Hansbrough brought an edge every night. Even in that brief faceoff with World Peace, the fire was there, just tempered by common sense.
