Bobby Hansen carved out a long NBA career as a dependable wing player who brought steady shooting, smart decision-making, and a team-first approach wherever he played. While he was never the focal point of an offense, his consistency and professionalism helped him remain a valuable contributor across more than a decade in the league.
Player Profile
Personal Information:
- Full Name: Robert Louis Hansen II
- Nationality: American
- Date of Birth: January 18, 1961
- Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
- Height: 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm)
- Weight: 190 pounds (86 kg)
- Wingspan: 6 feet 7 inches
- Shoe Size: Size 14 (US)
- Position: Shooting Guard
- Jersey Number: 20
Education:
- High School: Dowling High School, West Des Moines, Iowa
- College: University of Iowa
Professional Career:
- NBA Draft: Selected in the 3rd round (54th overall) by the Utah Jazz in the 1983 NBA Draft
- Teams Played For:
- Utah Jazz (1983–1985)
- Chicago Bulls (1985–1992)
- Sacramento Kings (1992–1993)
- NBA Championship Rings: 1 (1992 with the Chicago Bulls)
Career Highlights:
- Played a key role in the Chicago Bulls’ 1992 NBA Championship victory
- Known for his three-point shooting and perimeter defense
- Played a total of 9 seasons in the NBA
Post-Retirement:
- Served as a radio analyst for Iowa Hawkeyes basketball games for over 30 years
- Currently resides in Geneva, Illinois
- Married to Mary, with three daughters: Bailey, Carly, and Elly
Player Archetype / Play Style
Bobby Hansen fit the mold of a smart, low-maintenance wing role player, essentially a complementary shooting guard/small forward who helped teams with spacing, discipline, and steady two-way play rather than high-volume creation. Defensively, his role was to handle perimeter assignments with positioning and effort, giving reliable coverage on wings without being a gambling playmaker or scheme-defining stopper. Offensively, he worked best as a supporting option: spotting up, moving without the ball, making simple reads, and keeping the floor balanced next to higher-usage scorers. Physically, Hansen was listed at 6-foot-6 and 190 pounds, giving him solid size for a swingman and enough length to play either wing spot. In overall style, he came across as a composed, fundamentally sound perimeter player whose value was tied to fit, decision-making, and doing the connective work that good lineups need. (NBA)
Scouting Report
Bobby Hansen understood that not every possession needed another dribble. That’s easy to overlook until you watch a full game instead of a highlight reel. He consistently stayed one pass ahead of the defense, relocating along the arc, cutting behind ball watchers when help collapsed, and arriving in the right spot as the ball found him rather than forcing the action himself. His shooting was the foundation of his offensive value, but what made it work was his discipline. He rarely drifted into contested attempts, preferring to let screening actions and drive-and-kick sequences create clean looks, and if a hard closeout came his way, he was comfortable taking a couple of controlled dribbles into open space instead of trying to manufacture something spectacular. The trade-off was that he wasn’t built to carry an offense through isolation or repeated pick-and-roll creation, so asking him to generate late-clock scoring took him away from the strengths that made him effective. Defensively, Hansen played with sound positioning, fought over screens to stay connected to shooters, and understood when to stunt toward the ball before recovering under control, relying more on anticipation than exceptional physical tools. Bigger, stronger wings could create problems by forcing him into physical matchups, but he generally made opponents work for clean looks by staying disciplined within the scheme rather than chasing steals. To me, his ideal environment was one built around ball movement and spacing, where multiple playmakers kept the defense rotating and his off-ball awareness became a constant source of quality shots. There are similarities to Brent Barry in the way he blended perimeter shooting with smart connective play, while his willingness to embrace a complementary role and punish defensive mistakes also brings to mind Joe Ingles, although Hansen played a more straightforward off-ball game. His impact was rarely loud, but over the course of forty-eight minutes, his decisions quietly made an offense function more smoothly.
Sources:
Bob Hansen | Guard | Utah Jazz — NBA.com
1985-86 Utah Jazz Depth Chart — Basketball-Reference
Heading to the State Fair? — HawkeyeSports