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 Hawkeye's 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. 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 found himself 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. Hansen's highest scoring average, 9.7 points per game, came during the 1986-87 season. During a New Year's Eve party in 1988, Hansen was involved in a scuffle with Jazz teammate Bart Kofoed, which resulted in a broken cheekbone for Hansen and Kofoed being released by the Jazz. 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 NBA 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 which involved the Jazz acquiring Jeff Malone from the Washington Bullets for Hansen, Eric Leckner and two draft picks.

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. 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. 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, 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, 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.Scottie Pippen led a 14-2 Bulls rally, 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 were able to complete the come back, 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." When Hansen gave Jordan the game ball, Jordan replied, "I told you I'd get you that ring." Hansen had logged 5 minutes of game time, while Jordan played in 43 minutes.

Post-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.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]