John Wall could've spent his college years at North Carolina if not for an encounter he had while visiting the school.
Wall, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, said Tuesday during an appearance on the "Run Your Race" podcast that he wanted to stay nearby for college after his mother had suffered a brain aneurysm.
"I wanted to go to Carolina, that's my dream school. … They f----- it up," the Los Angeles Clippers point guard said. "They was the only one that could have got me not to go play for coach (John Calipari at Kentucky)."
He added, "So I go on the visit, Ty Lawson and them are there. Tyler Hansbrough's got his own section, him and like his homeboys," Wall recalled. "I'm the recruit, I walk up and say, 'What up.' He say, 'I don't talk to recruits.' I was like, 'F--- you, I ain't coming here.' That f----- it up right there."
Hansbrough, who helped lead the Tar Heels to a national championship in 2009, denied Wall's story on Twitter and suggested he had other reasons for choosing Kentucky over North Carolina.
The story @JohnWall told on @tpinsonn podcast DID NOT HAPPEN! 100% FALSE! I’m sure the bank of Calipari had nothing to do with him going to Kentucky
— Tyler Hansbrough (@THANS50) January 18, 2023
Wall played at Kentucky for one season before entering the 2010 NBA Draft. He was selected first overall by the Washington Wizards.
