Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. He plays at the center position, and graduated from Georgetown University in 2008. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors and was immediately traded to the Pacers on draft night. He has represented the Jamaican national team in international competition; he is eligible because his father was originally from Jamaica.[1][2][3]
[edit] Background
Roy Hibbert was born in Queens, New York to Roy, Sr. and Patty Hibbert. The family moved to Adelphi, Maryland when Roy was 2. Around that time, the New York Post states that his parents introduced him to basketball after they had "tried to get him to play tennis, then golf, then the piano."[4]
Hibbert attended Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Maryland. The team was coached by Dwayne Bryant, who had attended Georgetown University as a varsity basketball player. Bryant introduced the still-awkward Hibbert to the GU campus.[5] Hibbert helped make Georgetown Prep's Little Hoyas co-champions of the Interstate Athletic Conference in 2004.[6] Since Roy is an avid Pokémon fan, his teammates would often say, "Power up, big fella," to help him play harder.[7]
Hibbert was successfully recruited by Georgetown University coach Craig Esherick in 2003. However, Esherick was fired before Hibbert arrived on campus (Esherick's last season as coach went 13–15). John Thompson III was hired as the new coach. Hibbert joined the Hoyas as a "project," a player who had potential but was not yet ready for varsity.
[edit] College career
Hibbert helped lead the Georgetown Hoyas to the 2006-7 conference championship.
Hibbert was named to the All-Big East Second Team in 2006 along with teammate Jeff Green.[8] In 2007, he and Green were unanimous selections to the All-Big East First Team, with Green earning Big East player of the year honors. The two led the Hoyas to victory in the 2007 Big East Conference Championship for the first time since 1989 against the Pittsburgh Panthers; Hibbert contributed a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.[9] Before the 2007–2008 season he was named Big East's preseason player of the year.[10] He was also named a pre-season All-American along with the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, whose Tar Heels were upset by Hibbert's Hoyas in the Elite Eight of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Hibbert had repeatedly said that he planned to play all four years and graduate from Georgetown, continuing the tradition of graduating Hoya centers such as Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. However, his performance in helping to lead the Hoyas to the 2007 Final Four catapulted him into lottery pick status. Hibbert declared his eligibility for the 2007 NBA Draft, but did not sign with an agent.[11] On May 23, 2007, Hibbert announced he would return to school for his senior season. Hibbert said of Georgetown, "My heart was here. ... I feel like I have unfinished business here."[12]
In the summer of 2007, Hibbert was the starting center on the U.S. squad at the Pan-American Games. Hibbert is also eligible to represent Jamaica because he has ancestors from the island and will represent Jamaica in the Centro Basketball Tournament being played in Santo Domingo. Following the Hoyas' upset loss to Davidson in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Hibbert's collegiate career came to a close. Hibbert was drafted 17th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2008 NBA Draft, and was then acquired by the Indiana Pacers in a multi-player deal for Jermaine O'Neal. Hibbert signed his rookie deal for about $1.2 million.[citation needed]
[edit] In popular culture
Hibbert appeared as himself on the September 29, 2011 episode of Parks and Recreation, in which he was employed by Aziz Ansari's character Tom Haverford to play one-on-one basketball with Detlef Schrempf for 75% of his NBA salary during the 2011 lockout. He later appeared in another episode of the show, in which Tom Haverford hired him at his company's farewell party to distribute shrimp.
[edit] NBA career statistics
[edit] Regular season
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2008–09 |
Indiana |
70 |
42 |
14.4 |
.471 |
.000 |
.667 |
3.5 |
.7 |
.3 |
1.1 |
7.1 |
| 2009–10 |
Indiana |
81 |
69 |
25.1 |
.495 |
.500 |
.754 |
5.7 |
2.0 |
.4 |
1.6 |
11.7 |
| 2010-11 |
Indiana |
81 |
80 |
27.7 |
.461 |
.000 |
.745 |
7.5 |
2.0 |
.4 |
1.8 |
12.7 |
| Career |
|
232 |
191 |
22.8 |
.476 |
.300 |
.731 |
5.7 |
1.6 |
.4 |
1.5 |
10.6 |
[edit] Playoffs
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2010–11 |
Indiana |
5 |
5 |
26.4 |
.444 |
.000 |
.706 |
6.8 |
.6 |
.4 |
1.8 |
10.4 |
| Career |
|
5 |
5 |
26.4 |
.444 |
.000 |
.706 |
6.8 |
.6 |
.4 |
1.8 |
10.4 |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Hibbert, Roy |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
December 11, 1986 |
| Place of birth |
Queens, New York |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
