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The Charlotte Hornets continue to win in free agency as they have recently signed two-time all-star, Roy Hibbert, to a one-year, $5 million contract. This should be viewed as an absolute steal for the team. Hibbert’s value took a hit on the open market this offseason because of the down year that he had in Los Angeles. The team needed to replace Al Jefferson who signed with the Indiana Pacers in free agency. Hibbert has shown previously in his career that he can be a top-10 big man in the NBA. He is a two-time all-star and he was also on the second all-defensive team for the 2013-2014 season. He has also had three seasons as a top-five shot blocker in the league with over 2.0 blocks a game. During his seven seasons in Indiana, Hibbert averaged 11.1 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, and 1.9 blocks per game. I wouldn’t be surprised if he competed for a starting spot with Charlotte. He could easily take over the starting center role from Cody Zeller who is showing improvement but isn’t a prototypical NBA big man.  

The Charlotte Hornets have been known for their under the radar free agent signings over the past few years and this may add to the list. Hibbert is only 29-years old which is when players usually hit the prime of their careers. I really think that Roy has what it takes to succeed in Charlotte with a great, defensive minded coach in Clifford and a winning team that has good chemistry and talented players.

Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is a Jamaican-American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a two-time NBA All-Star, and earned NBA All-Defensive second team honors 2014.

Hibbert graduated from Georgetown University in 2008. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors and was subsequently traded to the Pacers on draft night. He has represented the Jamaican national team in international competition being eligible because of his dual U.S. and Jamaican citizenship.

Hibbert was born in Queens, New York City to Roy, Sr. and Patty Hibbert. His father is originally from Jamaica and his mother from Trinidad. The family moved to Adelphi, Maryland when Roy was two. 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.”

Hibbert was named to the All-Big East Second Team in 2006 along with teammate Jeff Green.  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. Before the 2007–08 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 Hansbrough, whose North Carolina 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. 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.” 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. On July 9, 2008, his rights were traded to the Indiana Pacers. On July 15, he signed his first professional contract with the Pacers.

In 2012, he was selected to the 2012 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve for the East. He played 10 minutes and scored 3 points, going 1-3 from the field.

In Game 1 of the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic, Hibbert recorded 9 blocks.

On July 13, 2012, Hibbert re-signed with the Pacers on a reported four-year, $58 million contract.

On November 21, 2012, Hibbert set a career high by recording 11 blocks as part of a 10 point/11 rebound/11 block triple-double in a victory against the New Orleans Hornets. The 11 blocks also broke the franchise record for most blocks in a single game, and Hibbert became only the second player in Pacers history (alongside Jermaine O’Neal) to record a points-rebounds-blocks triple-double.

In Game 3 of a 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the New York Knicks, Hibbert recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds in a Pacers win. In Game 6, Hibbert recorded 25 points and 12 rebounds, along with 5 blocks,including a significant block on Carmelo Anthony, which led the Pacers to the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. Hibbert averaged 15.8 points and 3.8 blocks in this series.

During the post-game press conference after Game 6 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Hibbert used the term “no homo” and later was fined $75,000 by the NBA for the remark. Hibbert apologized for his comments in a statement released by the Pacers: “I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the post-game press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night,” he said. “They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television. I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers’ organization.”

Hibbert was selected as an All-Star reserve for the East in 2014. He played 12 minutes and tallied 8 points on 4-5 shooting. At the end of the season, Hibbert finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting with 166 out of the 1125, losing to Joakim Noah, who had 555 of the points. Hibbert averaged 2.2 blocks per game.

In 2008, he began to represent the Jamaican national team. He has dual U.S. and Jamaican citizenship due to his father. He was named captain of the team in 2010 and represented them in the 2010 Centrobasket.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW HOME, MR. HIBBERT.