Wall: Insult from Tar Heels star made me choose Kentucky over UNC

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.

Wall played at Kentucky for one season before entering the 2010 NBA Draft. He was selected first overall by the Washington Wizards.