By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
A legend on the college floor, Tyler Hansbrough, however, never made it to the NBA and ended up going to China. Asked about it recently, the former North Carolina player didn’t hold back his words about the Middle Kingdom.
The name probably means nothing to young league fans, but Tyler Hansbrough wasn’t just your average player in the 2010s Worthy, no less. Unfortunately for the interior, its level in the NCAA completely did not translate to NBA.
Passed by the Pacers, Raptors and finally the Hornets, “Psycho-T” was gone in the 2016-17 season after more than 400 games in the big leagues. After this, he ended his playing career in China, where he spent three seasons in total. And the experience has clearly marked him ever since, while on Johnny Manziel’s podcast recently, the big man explained that it’s harder to play there than in the United States:
The Chinese championship is more difficult than the NBA according to Tyler Hansbrough
The NBA has gone soft, no doubt about it. When I went to China, I had the impression of being in the NBA in the 80s. It was physical, the players committed fouls, and they still played a lot inside. They don’t just shoot three-pointers and rely on analytical tools like the NBA. Analytics has yet to reach China.
There is also no charge management or recovery time. If you suggest that to them, they will laugh in your face. I’m talking about two workouts a day, with video sessions in the evening after training. It was tiring, but it taught me about toughness. In the NBA, there is a lot of emphasis on players resting while in China, you are expected to be there and work.
It’s a completely different culture and it made me appreciate the game differently.
A controversial position, although the game played in the NBA in recent years has been much debated by fans. But this unfortunate comparison to the Middle Kingdom made more than one fan stand up on social networks:
@teacherkevz_nft : If it became soft, why is it gone? It should be easier, right? Everyone hates the league after leaving it
@xMichaelx21 : No kidding, I only see washed-up players saying that
@Maverick_SZN : Just a washed-up player who says he’s still good enough for the NBA
Tyler Hansbrough did not win around: the physical challenge offered by the championship in China is much more difficult to cope with than in the NBA. Clearly, the former content enjoyed his experience in the Far East.