Hansen was voted by ESPN as one of the top five guards in the NBA draft in 2003. His draft class included players
LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade,
Carmelo Anthony, and
Chris Bosh. Hansen was drafted by the Hawks in the second round of the
2003 NBA draft, 37th overall. He signed a shoe contract with Nike.
Atlanta Hawks Hansen signed a two-year deal with the
Atlanta Hawks following the draft. He played 41 games for them the first season, starting four, averaging 3.0 points per game. He had a stress fracture in his right foot that caused him to miss 40 games. His career-high was against the
Boston Celtics; he played 41 minutes, scored 14 points, 6 rebounds and had 4 assists. His final NBA game was played on April 14, 2004, in a 132–137 loss to the
Boston Celtics where he recorded 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
Spain: Tau Ceramica In 2004–2005, he crossed the Atlantic to sign a two-year deal for
TAU Ceramica, who won the 2005
Spanish Supercup, the 2006
Spanish King's Cup and back-to-back appearances in the
EuroLeague Final Four and
Spanish League Finals. He averaged 10.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg in his last year in Vitoria before heading to
Dynamo Moscow. He was voted the favorite player in 2004 by fans in
Vitoria, Spain.
Russia: Dynamo Moscow In 2006, the
ULEB Cup (now called EuroCup Basketball) champions
Dynamo Moscow signed Hansen on a two-year contract. After helping his team reach the EuroLeague's Top-16 and averaging 15 ppg, he was placed on the injured list for the rest of the season after suffering a torn
Achilles tendon. In 2007, Hansen helped Dynamo take third place in the ULEB Cup (EuroCup Basketball) and averaged 17.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg while shooting 56.4 FG and 46.3% 3PT. In February 2008, Hansen extended his contract with Dynamo Moscow signing a three-year deal, and
Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree giving Hansen Russian citizenship. In 2008–2009, Hansen, coached by
David Blatt, again led Dynamo to the EuroCup final four in Turin, Italy, averaging 16.4 ppg. In March 2008, Hansen received Russian citizenship or a "red passport" in order to allow him to play for the senior men's
Russian national basketball team at the
2008 Beijing Olympics. He was the second American player ever to receive a Russian passport. However, he did not actually play for Russia.
Spain: Real Madrid In July 2009, he returned to the Spanish
Liga ACB, signing a two-year contract with Spanish power
Real Madrid. Hansen signed a shoe deal with Adidas who is the main sponsor of Real Madrid. Madrid revamped the entire roster signing many of the best players in Europe and also one of the best coaches in
Ettore Messina. They reached the top 8 in EuroLeague, the Finals in the Spanish Supercup, and the Finals of the Spanish Cup. In May 2010, during a practice session with Real Madrid, Hansen suffered a
herniated disc and had to have a
discectomy.
Russia: Khimki In December 2010 he signed a contract with
Khimki Moscow Region until the end of 2013 season. In April 2011, Hansen helped his team win the
VTB United League championship by hitting five free throws in the last seconds of the game. He retired in September 2013. ==Executive career==