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R. J. Hunter

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Ronald Jordan Hunter (born October 24, 1993) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Georgia State Panthers under the direction of his father and Georgia State head coach, Ron Hunter, being named twice Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as the Sun Belt Conference Male Athlete of the Year. He holds the school record for most career points with a total of 1,819 after just three seasons of play.[1]

R. J. Hunter
Hunter with the College Park Skyhawks in 2020
Personal information
Born (1993-10-24) October 24, 1993 (age 31)
Oxford, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolPike (Indianapolis, Indiana)
CollegeGeorgia State (2012–2015)
NBA draft2015: 1st round, 28th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career2015–2024
PositionShooting guard
Number2, 3, 9, 11, 12, 22, 28, 31
Career history
2015–2016Boston Celtics
2015–2016→Maine Red Claws
2016Chicago Bulls
2016→Windy City Bulls
2017Long Island Nets
2017–2018Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2018Houston Rockets
2018→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2018–2019Erie BayHawks
2019Boston Celtics
2019→Maine Red Claws
2019–2020Türk Telekom
2020College Park Skyhawks
2020–2021Galatasaray
2021–2022Sydney Kings
2023–2024Greensboro Swarm
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Sun Belt Male Athlete of the Year (2014, 2015)
  • 2× Sun Belt Player of the Year (2014, 2015)
  • 2× First-team All-Sun Belt (2014, 2015)
  • CAA Rookie of the Year (2013)
  • First-team All-CAA (2013)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High school career

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Hunter attended Pike High School in Indianapolis averaging 20.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a senior. That year he led Pike to the Indiana State Championships, ending as a runner-up, and in the process earned All-Marion County First Team, a conference player of the year award and an Indiana All-Star mention.[1]

College career

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Hunter played three seasons for Georgia State University under his father and head coach, Ron Hunter. After his junior season, he declared for the 2015 NBA draft.

Freshman season

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Hunter recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in his collegiate debut against No. 8 Duke. He also scored 20 or more points 12 times during his freshman season, leading GSU in scoring 15 times. He earned Kyle Macy Freshman All-America honors, CAA Rookie of the Year, All-CAA First-Team and CAA All-Rookie Team after becoming the most prolific freshman scorer in Georgia State University history. Hunter finished the year with a school-record 527 points (17 PPG) and was one of just three freshmen in the country to average at least 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.[1]

Sophomore season

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Hunter in 2014

Hunter's trend of record setting continued into the rest of his career at GSU. Overall, he averaged 18.4 ppg, scoring 604 for the season and became the first Panther to make 100 3-pointers in a single season. That 3-pointer count was No. 16 in the NCAA. Hunter was excellent from the free-throw line, setting the school record in single-season average by hitting 88.2 percent (No. 1 percentage in the Sun Belt and No. 17 in the NCAA that season). As a part of that effort, he also set a school-record 38 straight free throws made. On defense, Hunter finished second in the Sun Belt and 49th in the NCAA with his 63 steals.

Many know Hunter from seeing highlights of his clutch buzzer-beater in the second round of the 2015 NCAA tournament, but hitting a shot like that was nothing new for him. In his sophomore year, Hunter scored a career-high 41 points against UTSA, making a school single-game-record 12 three-pointers. The 12 threes were also the most in the country during the year and set a new Sun Belt Conference record. In another game that year, he hit the game-winning shot with 11.1 seconds to play against Arkansas State. Another clutch shot came in a game in which Hunter scored 31 points including a crucial 3-pointer with seven seconds left at UT Arlington to send the game to overtime.[1]

Hunter was named Sun Belt Conference Basketball Player of the Year as well as the Sun Belt Conference Male Athlete of the Year.[2] He was also named the Men's Georgia College Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.[3]

Junior season

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In his final season at GSU, Hunter averaged a career-high 19.7 points, scoring a school-record season total of 688 points (a school record he broke each season). He also averaged 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. In addition, he made 202 free-throws (No. 7 in the NCAA that year), second-most in school history, while swiping 75 steals, third-most in a single season in program history. The most noteworthy record he set was total career points. Midway through just his third season, Hunter overtook Rodney Hamilton's record of 1,515 points with a basket in front of a GSU home crowd against UL Lafayette on January 24, 2015. Hunter finished the year with a career total of 1,819 points.

The Panthers finished the 2014–15 season as the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament champions. With their Sun Belt Tournament championship win over Georgia Southern, the Panthers received a bid to the NCAA tournament. In the round of 64, No. 14 seed Georgia State trailed the No. 3 seed Baylor by 12 points with just 2:53 to play. Hunter took over and scored 12 of the Panthers' final 13 points, including a 30-foot 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining to secure their electrifying come-from-behind upset win, which caused his coach (and father) Ron to fall off his stool in jubilation. The moment was selected as No. 2 in the NCAA's top 10 moments of the tournament, was included in the "One Shining Moment" montage following the championship game,[1][4] and was one of three nominees for the 2015 Best Upset ESPY Award.[5]

Hunter was again named both Sun Belt Conference Basketball Player of the Year and the Sun Belt Conference Male Athlete of the Year.[2] R.J. was also the only player from a school in Georgia to be named to the Naismith Trophy watch list that season.[6]

College statistics

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Season averages[7]
Season Team G MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3P% FT% TO
2012–13 Georgia State 31 33.5 17.0 5.1 1.8 1.7 0.8 .439 .365 .776 1.7
2013–14 Georgia State 32 33.5 18.3 4.6 1.8 2.0 1.0 .444 .395 .882 1.2
2014–15 Georgia State 35 37 19.7 4.7 3.6 2.1 1.0 .396 .305 .878 2.2
Career 98 34.6 18.4 4.8 2.4 1.9 0.9 .426 .355 .845 1.7

College records

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  • All-time Georgia State University leader in points (1,819)
  • All-time Georgia State University leader in free throws made (448), in free-throw percentage (.853), and in consecutive free throws made (38)
  • All-time Georgia State University leader in 3-pointers made (253)
  • Single-season Georgia State University leader in 3-pointers made (100, 2013–14)
  • Single-season Georgia State University leader free-throw percentage (.882, 2013–14)
  • Single-game Sun Belt Conference leader in 3-pointers made (12)
  • Single-game Sun Belt Conference leader in free-throw percentage (1.000 16–16, 2015)

Professional career

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Boston Celtics (2015–2016)

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On June 25, 2015, Hunter was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.[8] On July 27, he signed his rookie-scale contract with the Celtics.[9] After averaging just 2.8 points per game over his first eight NBA games, Hunter scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench against the Atlanta Hawks on November 24.[10] During his rookie season, Hunter received multiple assignments to the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics' Development League affiliate.[11] On October 24, 2016, Hunter was waived by the Celtics.[12]

Chicago Bulls (2016)

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On October 27, 2016, Hunter signed with the Chicago Bulls.[13] He was waived by the Bulls on December 29, 2016, after appearing in three games.[14] During his time with Chicago, he had multiple assignments to the Windy City Bulls of the NBA Development League.[15]

Long Island Nets (2017)

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On January 6, 2017, Hunter was acquired by the Long Island Nets of the NBA G-League.[16] Four days later, he made his debut for Long Island in a 120–112 loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, recording 22 points, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench.[17]

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2017–2018)

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After failing to find a team to participate in training camp under the preseason, he would be assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League on October 24, 2017. Hunter made his debut with the team on November 4.

Erie BayHawks (2018–2019)

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On January 14, 2018, Hunter signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets. On August 18, 2018, Hunter was waived by the Rockets.[18]

On September 7, 2018, Hunter signed with the Atlanta Hawks.[19] On October 13, 2018, Hunter was waived by the Hawks.[20] Hunter was added to the training camp roster of the Erie BayHawks.[21] In his BayHawks debut, Hunter scored a game-high 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting in a win over the Grand Rapids Drive.[22]

Return to Boston (2019)

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On January 10, 2019, Hunter signed a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics.[23]

Türk Telekom (2019–2020)

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On June 27, 2019, Hunter signed with Türk Telekom of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).[24]

College Park Skyhawks (2020)

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On February 7, 2020, Hunter signed with College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League (formerly D-League) and an affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.[25] He missed a game against the Greensboro Swarm on February 28 with an illness.[26]

Galatasaray (2020–2021)

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On July 21, 2020, Hunter signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish BSL.[27]

Sydney Kings (2021–2022)

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On July 23, 2021, Hunter signed with the Sydney Kings of the Australian NBL for the 2021–22 season.[28] On January 15, 2022, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his left patellar tendon.[29] He was replaced on the roster.[30]

Greensboro Swarm (2023–2024)

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On September 29, 2023, Hunter signed with the Charlotte Hornets,[31] but was waived on October 21, prior to the start of the 2023–24 season.[32] Eight days later, he signed with the Greensboro Swarm.[33]

On October 15, 2024, Hunter retired from professional basketball.[34]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Boston 36 0 8.8 .367 .302 .857 1.0 .4 .4 .1 2.7
2016–17 Chicago 3 0 3.0 .000 .000 – 0.3 .0 .0 .0 .0
2017–18 Houston 5 1 9.0 .350 .214 1.000 1.0 .6 .6 .0 3.8
2018–19 Boston 1 0 26.0 .462 .400 .500 3.0 3.0 1.0 .0 17.0
Career 45 1 8.8 .371 .295 .818 1.0 .4 .4 .1 3.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016 Boston 5 0 8.2 .222 .200 .000 1.2 .6 .0 .2 1.0
Career 5 0 8.2 .222 .200 .000 1.2 .6 .0 .2 1.0

Personal life

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Hunter is the son of Ron Hunter and Amy Hunter, the youngest of two children. He and his older sister, Jasmine, are very close.[35] Hunter's godfather is 15-year NBA veteran Ron Harper.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Player Bio: R. J. Hunter – Georgia State University Official Athletic Website". Georgia State Panthers. Georgia State University. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Georgia State's Father-Son Duo Headlines Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Honorees". Sun Belt Conference. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  3. ^ "Hunter Earns Atlanta Tipoff Club Honor". Georgia State University. March 12, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  4. ^ Cooper, Sam (March 19, 2015). "Dramatic R. J. Hunter 3-pointer gives Georgia State upset over Baylor (Video)". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  5. ^ "Best Upset Award Voting". ESPN. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  6. ^ "R.J. Hunter makes Naismith Trophy list". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 3, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Men's Basketball Statistics". Georgia State Panthers. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  8. ^ "Celtics Select Rozier, Hunter, Mickey and Thornton in 2015 Draft". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Celtics Sign 2015 First Round Draft Picks Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter". NBA.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Celtics vs. Hawks - Game Summary - November 24, 2015". ESPN.com. November 24, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. ^ "All-Time NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  12. ^ Snow, Taylor C. (October 24, 2016). "James Young Earns Celtics' Final Roster Spot". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  13. ^ "BULLS SIGN R.J. HUNTER". NBA.com. October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "BULLS WAIVE RJ HUNTER". NBA.com. December 29, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  15. ^ "2016-17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  16. ^ "Long Island Nets Acquire R.J. Hunter". NBA.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Alex Poythress' 28 Points Lift Mad Ants Over RJ Hunter, Nets". NBA.com. January 10, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "ROSTER UPDATE: Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived guard R.J. Hunter". Houston Rockets on Twitter. August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  19. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Sign R.J. Hunter". NBA.com. September 7, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  20. ^ "Hawks Request Waivers on Anderson, Hunter and Robinson". NBA.com. October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  21. ^ Hartman, Billy (October 20, 2018). "Erie BayHawks Finalize 2018 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  22. ^ Fernandes, Victor (November 2, 2018). "Hunter, BayHawks race past Drive in opener". Erie Times-News. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "Celtics Sign R.J. Hunter To Two-Way Contract". NBA. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  24. ^ "RJ Hunter says he signed with Turk Telekom Ankara". Sportando.com. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  25. ^ "College Park Skyhawks introduce former Georgia State hooper RJ Hunter as newest player". 11alive.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  26. ^ "R.J. Hunter: Misses Saturday's game". CBS Sports. February 29, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  27. ^ "Galatasaray signs R.J. Hunter". Eurobasket. July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  28. ^ "RJ Hunter joins the Kings". SydneyKings.com. July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  29. ^ "RJ Hunter to Miss Remainder of Season". NBL.com.au. January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  30. ^ Winter, Brad (February 1, 2022). "Here come the Kings: Sydney look like NBL title contenders once more". PickAndRoll.com.au. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  31. ^ "Hornets Sign R.J. Hunter And Edmond Sumner". NBA.com. September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  32. ^ "Hornets Waive Brown, Hunter, Mensah". NBA.com. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  33. ^ "Greensboro Swarm Announce Training Camp Roster and Coaching Staff for 2023-24 Season". NBA.com. October 29, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  34. ^ @gtvhoops (October 15, 2024). "Happy retirement to RJ Hunter! After nearly a decade long pro career, the former G League star has decided to hang it up at age 30. Hunter was the 28th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Celtics and also had stints with the Bulls and Rockets. He spent a large part of his career in the G and posted career averages of 17.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG with seven G League teams. Hunter averaged 20.4 PPG in 2018 with the Vipers and then 22.0 PPG the next year with the Skyhawks. He ranks 8th all-time in G League history in three-pointers and 27th in scoring. Congrats on a great career, @hunter_games31!". Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Instagram.
  35. ^ Dortch, Chris (February 26, 2015). "Georgia State's Hunter could be ready for jump to NBA". NBA.com. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
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