Former UNC guard PJ Hairston reflects on "hatred" for Duke following 2013 arrest incident

Former North Carolina guard PJ Hairston shared the reason behind his hatred for the Duke Blue Devils following his 2013 arrest, during the latest episode of the “Run Your Race” podcast, which premiered on YouTube on Wednesday.

Host AJ Richardson asked Hairston about the full details of the incident, which transpired during his junior year at UNC. According to a police report filed in June 2013, officers found ammunition and a 9 mm handgun when they arrested Hairston on a marijuana possession charge.

"They searched the car, brought the dog and s**t, and found the weed under the seat," Hairston said (Timestamp 1:03:32). "But then, like, if you look up, you see a cop, like, running from, like, this way. And he like, 'there's a gun in the woods back here.' And I'm like, 'who f***ing guns?'"

"That ain't got nothing to do with me. I said, 'Bro, we just had the weed, bro.' That's all I said. I said, 'we just had the weed.' I said, 'we was going to smoke.' That was it. I said, 'Come on, like, relax.'"

PJ Hairston then said an officer told him something about Duke while he was in the police car.

"So he ended up arresting me. Whoever's in the car with me, put me in the back of the car. Motherf***er looks at me right before he closes the door and says, 'Go Duke.'"

"So people wonder why I have such a hatred for them blue motherf***ers. That's why. This motherf***er said, 'Go Duke,'" Hairston added.

Hairston was later suspended by North Carolina and did not play another game for the Tar Heels, who announced on Dec. 20, 2013, that they would not seek his reinstatement. The initial charges against Hairston were dismissed by a court in Durham County.

Recapping PJ Hairston's career with UNC before his arrest

PJ Hairston started his collegiate career in 2011 and became an important piece off the bench for North Carolina coach Roy Williams during his freshman season. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds through 37 games for the Tar Heels in the 2011-12 NCAA season.

He took his offense up a notch in the 2012-13 season. He averaged 14.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.3 steals through 34 games for UNC in his sophomore year. He was expected to be one of North Carolina's main players in the 2013-14 season, but the arrest changed the trajectory of his basketball career.

PJ Hairston in action for the Charlotte Hornets. Photo: Getty

He joined the NBA D-League following his suspension and later declared for the 2014 NBA draft, where he went to Charlotte (via Miami) with the 26th pick. He played for the Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA before retiring in 2018.