Tyler Hansbrough Refutes John Wall’s Recruiting Story, Drops ‘Bank of Calipari’ Quip

The former North Carolina star denied Wall’s recollection that Hansbrough snubbed him during a recruiting visit.

In the world of college basketball, recruiting battles for the country’s top high school talent are nearly as hard-fought as those on the hardwood. Sometimes bad blood lingers for years on end, which appears to be the case in the latest bit of drama involving blue blood programs North Carolina and Kentucky.

Former Wildcats star and current Clippers guard John Wall said in an interview with the Run Your Race podcast that his dream destination out of high school was North Carolina, and that the only thing that prevented him from becoming a Tar Heel was a slight by former UNC legend Tyler Hansbrough. As Wall recalls, he was given the cold shoulder when he tried to introduce himself to Hansbrough.

“So I go on the visit, Ty Lawson and them are there. Tyler Hansbrough’s got his own section … I’m the recruit, I walk up and say, ‘What’s up.’ He said, ‘I don’t talk to recruits.’ I was like, ‘F--- you, I ain’t coming here.’ That f----- it up right there.”

This story on why John Wall chose Kentucky over his “dream school” UNC is wild 🤯

Via @tpinsonn pic.twitter.com/kzxP0D2Cab

— Prep Hoops 🏀 (@PrepHoops) January 17, 2023

That’s not how Hansbrough remembers it. The former National Player of the Year took to Twitter for a strongly-worded rebuttal in which he took a shot at Kentucky coach John Calipari, heavily insinuating that the real reason Wall ended up at Kentucky was simple: money.

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

Even though this beef is nearly a decade and a half old, here’s betting that we haven’t heard the last about it just yet.