Bob Hansen

Bob Hansen
Personal information
Born (1961-01-18) January 18, 1961
Des Moines, Iowa
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school Dowling (West Des Moines, Iowa)
College Iowa (1979–1983)
NBA draft 1983 / Round: 3 / Pick: 54th overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career 1983–1992
Position Guard
Number 20
Career history
1983–1990 Utah Jazz
1990–1991 Sacramento Kings
1991–1992 Chicago Bulls
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 3,952
Rebounds 1,282
Assists 947
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA U19 World Championship
1979 Salvador National team

Robert Louis Hansen II (born January 18, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) guard, he played nine seasons (1983–1992) in the National Basketball Association.

Early years

Hansen attended Christ The King Elementary school and was a four-year starter at West Des Moines Dowling High School in the late 1970s. As a senior, he averaged 26 points and eleven rebounds per game to lead his team to an Iowa Class 4-A boys' basketball championship in 1979. His success in high school made him a prized recruit for head coach Lute Olson and the Iowa Hawkeyes, where Hansen played a key role on the Hawkeyes team that reached the 1980 Final Four. As a senior in 1983, he was named as the Hawkeyes' Most Valuable Player.

Professional career

Hansen was selected by the Utah Jazz in the third round of the 1983 NBA draft, the 54th overall pick.[1] Hansen appeared in 55 games during his rookie season with the Jazz, averaging 2.7 points per game and 7.6 minutes per game. By the 1985–86 season, Hansen was a regular starter for the Jazz. He was also one of three Jazz players named NBA Player of the Week (March 6, 1986) during the season, joining teammates John Stockton and Karl Malone.[1] Hansen's highest scoring average, 9.7 points per game, came during the 1986–87 season.[2] During the 1990 All-Star weekend, Hansen participated in the three-point challenge, finishing fourth. Los Angeles Lakers guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson said Hansen's tough, hard-nosed defensive style would often get him properly prepared for the physical toll of the NBA Playoffs. Hansen had made the playoffs every year he was with the Jazz, with the team making it as far as the Western Conference semifinals in both 1984 and 1988. On June 25, 1990, Hansen was involved in a three-team deal in which the Jazz acquired Jeff Malone from the Washington Bullets for Hansen, Eric Leckner and two draft picks.[1]

To begin the 1990–91 season, Hansen suited up for the Sacramento Kings, where he would play for chiefly one season, appearing in just two games for the 1991–92 Kings before Hansen and the Kings' 1992 second-round pick were traded for Dennis Hopson of the Chicago Bulls.[3] In his final NBA season, and perhaps his best known, Hansen appeared in 66 regular season games and, along with Craig Hodges, served as back-up guard to Michael Jordan.[4] Hansen, who averaged 2.5 points per contest heading into the 1992 NBA Playoffs, would have arguably his most memorable professional contribution during the 1992 NBA Finals. During Game 6, the Bulls, who held a 3-2 series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, were trailing by 15 points after three quarters. Head coach Phil Jackson decided to pull Jordan from the game in favor of Hansen,[5] hoping for an extra jolt to start what looked to be the final corner of a Finals looking to require seven games to determine a champion. According to longtime Bulls writer Sam Smith, Jackson may have wanted to rest his starters considering no team had ever come back from a 15-point deficit to win an NBA championship,[6] and Hansen started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, his only field goal of the game, and a steal off Jerome Kersey. Hansen confirmed with the defending Finals MVP Jordan whether he wanted to re-enter the game, but Jordan declined.[5]Scottie Pippen led a 14-2 Bulls rally,[7] and, along with Hansen and fellow reserve big man Stacey King, helped the Bulls get within three points by the time Jordan was put back in the game to replace Hansen. The Bulls completed the comeback, eventually rallying for a 97–93 victory and winning their second consecutive NBA championship. Hansen was the only player on the roster who had not won a ring with the Bulls during the 1991 Finals and after the Game 6 win, Jordan repeatedly stated, "I'm glad for Bobby Hansen."[8] When Hansen gave Jordan the game ball, Jordan replied, "I told you I'd get you that ring."[5] Hansen had logged 5 minutes of game time, while Jordan played in 43 minutes.[9]

After retirement

Having won his championship ring, Hansen retired from the NBA in 1992. Hansen is a color-commentator for Iowa Hawkeyes' basketball broadcasts. He calls games with Gary Dolphin. He has also run many summer basketball camps for Chicago-area children. He was named to the Des Moines Register Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.[10][11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Utah Jazz Media Guide 2011–12" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  2. ↑ "NBA.com:Bob Hansen Info Page". NBA.com. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Names in the News". Los Angeles Times. 5 November 1991. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  4. ↑ Isaacson, Melissa (11 March 1992). "Hansen's Turn as Hodges Cools". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Hlas, Mike (13 June 2012). "5 minutes, 20 years ago: ex-Hawkeye Hansen has unforgettable career-finale". The Gazette. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  6. ↑ Smith, Sam (6 December 2011). "June 14, 1992". Bulls.com. NBA.com. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  7. ↑ "20 years ago: Ex-Jazzman Bobby Hansen keys Finals run". Deseret News. 20 June 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  8. ↑ "The Ten Greatest Bulls Shots". Bulls.com. NBA.com. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "1992 NBA Finals Box Score". Chicago Tribune. 19 June 1992. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Bob Hansen to Sing 7th Inning Stretch at Wrigley". hawkeyesports.com. August 26, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  11. ↑ Hansen in Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, at the Des Moines Register
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