If you are a basketball or sports fan in general, you may have heard the name Hansel Emmanuel. At just six years old, he lost his left arm in an accident, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a basketball player. He is currently playing for Austin Peay State University (after transferring from Northwestern University), but many wonder if he can also play in the NBA.
Hansel Emmanuel can play in the NBA. In fact, many people believe he is well on his way to doing just that. Stars Kyrie Irving and Shaquille O’Neal have publicly shown their support for Emmanuel and his talent.
In this article, we’ll discuss the possibility of Emmanuel making it to the NBA.
Does the NBA Have an Official Rule Against One-Armed Players?
The NBA does not have an official rule banning one-armed players. This means that if Emmanuel performs well enough at Austin Peay, there is a good chance he could make it to the NBA.
While there are no rules against one-armed players in the NBA, there is no precedent for this either. This means that Hansel Emmanuel could very well be the first one-armed player drafted in the NBA. While he is currently a sophomore, there is a lot of hype and attention around his college career already.
While recruiting, Emmanuel received multiple D1 offers on top of the one from Northwestern, including offers from Memphis, Tennessee State, and Bethune-Cookman. Given these offers, it wouldn’t be surprising if Emmanuel got the attention of the NBA. However, there is still a lot of mystery regarding how he can perform in a tougher setting. With no rules standing in his way, it will certainly be interesting to see how his future in basketball unfolds.
Barriers to Break
Hansel Emmanuel has a lot of potential, and college basketball could be just the start of something groundbreaking. He is not the first one-armed player to play D1 basketball, but he is now joining Zach Hodskins as a fellow barrier breaker. Zach Hodskins is another one-armed basketball player who played for the University of Florida.
That is, unfortunately, where the story of Hodskins ends so far. While he scored a few times in college, he lost a lot of attention on him. Hodskins has not made a move for the NBA and seems to have dreams outside of basketball. While his basketball career seemed to fizzle out, people still regard him as a hero.
But that is where Emmanuel can set himself apart from the rest. If Emmanuel can use this opportunity to keep attention on him, there isn’t much that would stand in his way besides his ability.
Not only is he playing at Austin Peay, but he also has all eyes on him, just like Hodskins did. The next steps are vital for his potential career in the NBA. The bottom line is that Emmanuel needs to prove himself against top athletes. If he does well in D1, there is a good chance we’ll see him in the NBA one day.
Hansel Emmanuel College Stats
Below are Hansel Emmanuel’s stats from Northwestern and his current university. The numbers might be more telling as to why Hansel transferred from Northwestern.
| Team | Minutes Played | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks |
| Austin Peay State University | 18.3 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Northwestern University | 8.2 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
As you can see, Hansel gets more than double the amount of playing time at APSU compared to his previous year at Northwestern. Additionally, his stats have all improved pretty significantly. From a player’s perspective, play time is huge if you want to get recognized by the NBA, not just what team you play for.
Final Thoughts
Hansel Emmanuel garnered the attention of so many people over his high school and now college career. Currently, no rules prevent him from a potential career in the NBA. So, watching how he performs at his current university and where his career goes from here will be interesting.