Roy Denzil Hibbert is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player for the
Indiana PacersThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
of the
NBAThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. He plays at the
centerThe center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
position, and graduated from
Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in 2008. He was drafted 17th overall in the
2008 NBA DraftThe 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...
by the
Toronto RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
and was immediately traded to the Pacers on draft night. He has represented the
Jamaican national teamJamaica national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Jamaica in international competitions. The team finished in seventh place in the 2006 Centrobasket with a record of 0-3. They did however win the 7th place game against costa rica 100-57. In the 2010 Centrobasket, led by Roy...
in international competition; he is eligible because his father was originally from Jamaica.
Background
Roy Hibbert was born in
QueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Roy, Sr. and Patty Hibbert. The family moved to
Adelphi, MarylandAdelphi is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 14,998 at the 2000 census...
when Roy was 2. Around that time, the
New York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
states that his parents introduced him to basketball after they had "tried to get him to play
tennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, then
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, then the
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
."
Hibbert attended
Georgetown PrepGeorgetown Preparatory School is an American Jesuit college preparatory school for grades 9 through 12. It is the oldest all boys school in the United States, and the only Jesuit boarding school in the country...
in
North BethesdaNorth Bethesda is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It borders the city of Rockville, and is closely associated with the city.-Geography:...
,
MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The team was coached by Dwayne Bryant, who had attended
Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
as a varsity basketball player. Bryant introduced the still-awkward Hibbert to the GU campus. Hibbert helped make
Georgetown PrepGeorgetown Preparatory School is an American Jesuit college preparatory school for grades 9 through 12. It is the oldest all boys school in the United States, and the only Jesuit boarding school in the country...
's Little Hoyas co-champions of the
Interstate Athletic ConferenceThe Interstate Athletic Conference is an all-boys high school sports league made up of six private high schools in the Washington, D.C., area, competing in twelve varsity sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track...
in 2004. Since Roy is an avid Pokémon fan, his teammates would often say, "Power up, big fella," to help him play harder.
Hibbert was successfully recruited by
Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
coach
Craig EsherickCraig Esherick is an assistant professor of sport management for George Mason University and color commentator for college basketball games. He was formerly the head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team and assistant basketball coach and scout for the 1988 U.S...
in 2003. However,
EsherickCraig Esherick is an assistant professor of sport management for George Mason University and color commentator for college basketball games. He was formerly the head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team and assistant basketball coach and scout for the 1988 U.S...
was fired before Hibbert arrived on campus (
EsherickCraig Esherick is an assistant professor of sport management for George Mason University and color commentator for college basketball games. He was formerly the head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team and assistant basketball coach and scout for the 1988 U.S...
's last season as coach went 13–15).
John Thompson IIIJohn Thompson III is the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Georgetown University. He grew up in Washington, D.C. and was named first team All-Metro by The Washington Post while playing for Gonzaga College High School in 1984. Thompson was hired on April 20, 2004 to replace Craig...
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.
College career
Hibbert was named to the All-Big East Second Team in 2006 along with teammate
Jeff GreenJeffrey Lynn Green is an American professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. Green attended Georgetown University until following his junior year, when he entered the 2007 NBA Draft...
. In 2007, he and
GreenJeffrey Lynn Green is an American professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. Green attended Georgetown University until following his junior year, when he entered the 2007 NBA Draft...
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. Before the 2007–2008 season he was named Big East's preseason player of the year. He was also named a pre-season All-American along with the likes of
Tyler HansbroughAndrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. Hansbrough completed a college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 2009, and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1st round of the 2009 NBA...
, 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 EwingPatrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
,
Alonzo MourningAlonzo Harding Mourning, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player, who played most of his 15-year NBA career for the Miami Heat....
and
Dikembe MutomboDikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo , commonly referred to as Dikembe Mutombo, is a retired Congolese American professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the NBA...
. 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 DraftThe 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, but did not sign with an agent. 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."
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 RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
in the
2008 NBA DraftThe 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...
, and was then acquired by the
Indiana PacersThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in a multi-player deal for
Jermaine O'NealJermaine Lee O'Neal is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. The 6 ft 11 in , 255 lb forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school...
. Hibbert signed his rookie deal for about $1.2 million.
In popular culture
Hibbert appeared as himself on the September 29, 2011 episode of
Parks and RecreationParks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
, in which he was employed by Aziz Ansari's character Tom Haverford to play one-on-one basketball with
Detlef SchrempfDetlef Schrempf is a retired German NBA basketball player.-High school and college career:...
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.
Regular season
|-
| align="left" |
2008–09The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left" |
IndianaThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 70 || 42 || 14.4 || .471 || .000 || .667 || 3.5 || .7 || .3 || 1.1 || 7.1
|-
| align="left" |
2009–10The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Indiana
|
81 || 69 || 25.1 ||
.495 ||
.500 ||
.754 || 5.7 ||
2.0 ||
.4 || 1.6 || 11.7
|-
| align="left" | 2010-11
| align="left" | Indiana
|
81 ||
80 ||
27.7 || .461 || .000 || .745 ||
7.5 ||
2.0 ||
.4 ||
1.8 ||
12.7
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 232 || 191 || 22.8 || .476 || .300 || .731 || 5.7 || 1.6 || .4 || 1.5 || 10.6
Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |
2010–11The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| align="left" |
IndianaThe Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 5 || 5 || 26.4 || .444 || .000 || .706 || 6.8 || .6 || .4 || 1.8 || 10.4
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 5 || 5 || 26.4 || .444 || .000 || .706 || 6.8 || .6 || .4 || 1.8 || 10.4
External links