Lindsey Benson Hunter Jr. (born December 3, 1970) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player and coach. He played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. He was also the interim head coach of the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division (NBA), P ...

in 2013. Most recently, he served as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State.

Basketball career

After playing basketball at

Murrah High School Murrah High School is a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It is a part of the Jackson Public School District. History Prior to desegregation in the 1960s, the school was majority white. Donna Ladd, in an article ...

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, alongside phenom James Robinson, Hunter enrolled at

Alcorn State University Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. ...

, then transferred to

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of stude ...

after his freshman year. While playing for the

Jackson State Tigers The Jackson State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Conference affiliation Jackson State University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Con ...

, he became arguably the school's highest profile athlete since the days of

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played ...

and

Jackie Slater Jackie Ray Slater (born May 27, 1954), nicknamed "Big Bad Jackie", is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career with the Rams f ...

. The

had two first-round picks in the

1993 NBA draft The 1993 NBA draft took place on June 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The draft had some talented players at the top, but injuries and personal problems hurt many of them. Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Hou ...

. They selected Hunter with the 10th pick and chose

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

guard

Allan Houston Allan Wade Houston (born April 20, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2005. A shooting guard, Houston played nine seasons for the New York Knicks; he w ...

with the 11th. As a rookie, Hunter played in all 82 games, while averaging 10.3 points and what would be a career-high 4.8 assists per game. During the 1996-97 NBA season, Hunter averaged a career-high 14.2 points per game, before then averaging a playoff career-high 15 points per game during a 3-2 first round loss to the

Hawks Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfa ...

. His first stint in Detroit lasted from 1993 to 2000 when he was traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

for

Billy Owens Billy Eugene Owens (born May 1, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Syracuse, where he was an All-American and the ...

. He was a key role player with the Bucks for one season, playing the fifth-most minutes of any Buck en route to the team’s 4-3 Eastern Conference Finals loss, before being sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Greg Foster the following season. Hunter was a contributor on the Lakers team that won the NBA championship in 2001–02. Following that season, Hunter was dealt again (on draft night 2002), this time to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Atlantic Division (NBA) ...

, along with the rights to Chris Jefferies, for Tracy Murray and

Kareem Rush Kareem Lamar Rush (born October 30, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. Rush's younger brother, Brandon, last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, while older brother JaRon played college basketball for UCLA. College ...

. In August 2003, the Pistons re-acquired Hunter by sending Michael Curry to the Raptors. He was traded to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

in February 2004 along with Chucky Atkins and Detroit's 2004 first-round draft pick for Mike James, in order to make the

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...

figures work out for the trade that brought

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...

to the Pistons. Hunter never played a game for the Celtics; he was immediately released and re-signed by Detroit a week later. Hunter and the Pistons went on to win the 2003–04 NBA championship. Hunter and the Pistons went back to the Finals in 2004–2005, but Detroit lost the series in seven games to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. During the Pistons Finals runs, Hunter was credited a tenacious on-ball defender off the bench. He was credited with guarding

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards ...

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely ...

, and

Tony Parker William Anthony Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of ASVEL Basket in LNB Pro A. Himself the son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career at Paris Basket Racing in ...

in Detroit's two Finals runs. On March 7, 2007, Hunter was suspended for ten games after testing positive for

phentermine Phentermine ( phenyl- tertiary-butyl amine), with several brand names including Ionamin and Sentis, is a medication used together with diet and exercise to treat obesity. It is taken by mouth for up to a few weeks at a time, after which the ben ...

. He claimed he was using his wife's diet pills, which made him test positive for the banned substance. Hunter signed a one-year nonguaranteed contract with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

on November 13, 2008. On July 13, 2009, Hunter re-signed with the Bulls for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million. At age 39, Hunter was the oldest player active during the 2009–2010 NBA season—until the Bulls waived him on March 3, 2010 (to make room for Chris Richard). Two days later, the Bulls hired him as a player development assistant.

Coaching career

On August 28, 2012, Hunter signed with the

as an assistant coach for player development. After the Suns opened the season with a 13–28 record, Hunter was named Phoenix's interim head coach, replacing

Alvin Gentry Alvin Harris Gentry (born November 5, 1954) is an American professional basketball coach. A former college basketball player, Gentry has led six different NBA teams. He served as an interim head coach for the Miami Heat at the end of the 1994– ...

on January 20, 2013. In his head coaching debut, Hunter led the Suns to a 106–96 victory over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. In May 2013, Hunter was replaced by

Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...

. On September 18, 2013, Hunter joined the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

as an assistant coach. On June 13, 2016, Hunter was named an assistant coach on

Nate Oats Nathanael Justin Oats (born October 13, 1974) is an American basketball coach, currently the head basketball coach at the University of Alabama. Prior to Alabama he was the head coach at the University at Buffalo. Education and playing career Oa ...

' staff at the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1 ...

. On April 20, 2019, Hunter was named the head coach at

Mississippi Valley State University Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, 82 , , 26 , , 26.5 , , .375 , , .333 , , .732 , , 2.3 , , 4.8 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 10.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, 42 , , 26 , , 22.5 , , .374 , , .333 , , .727 , , 1.8 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 48 , , 26.7 , , .381 , , .405 , , .700 , , 2.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 8.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 76 , , 36.9 , , .404 , , .355 , , .778 , , 2.8 , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 14.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 71 , , 67 , , 35.3 , , .383 , , .321 , , .740 , , 3.5 , , 3.2 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , 12.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 49 , , 49 , , 35.8 , , .435 , , .386 , , .753 , , 3.4 , , 3.9 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 35.6 , , .425 , , .432 , , .760 , , 3.0 , , 4.0 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, 82 , , 5 , , 24.4 , , .381 , , .373 , , .802 , , 2.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 47 , , 19.7 , , .382 , , .380 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , 5.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, 29 , , 0 , , 23.2 , , .351 , , .318 , , .723 , , 2.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 8 , , 20.0 , , .343 , , .280 , , .625 , , 2.0 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 3 , , 15.1 , , .358 , , .274 , , .793 , , 1.6 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 30 , , 1 , , 11.8 , , .370 , , .256 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 2.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 52 , , 0 , , 14.3 , , .385 , , .319 , , .909 , , .9 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .1 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 24 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .344 , , .269 , , .778 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .1 , , 2.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 28 , , 0 , , 9.5 , , .329 , , .333 , , .600 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 13 , , 0 , , 9.4 , , .167 , , .077 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.0 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 937 , , 439 , , 24.8 , , .388 , , .360 , , .746 , , 2.2 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 8.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...

, align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .250 , , .250 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , align="left" ,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 40.2 , , .439 , , .414 , , .714 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 15.0 , - , align="left" ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 36.0 , , .264 , , .273 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.4 , , .0 , , 7.2 , - , align="left" ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 31.0 , , .313 , , .111 , , .667 , , 2.3 , , 1.7 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

, align="left" ,

, 18 , , 0 , , 16.1 , , .242 , , .151 , , .727 , , 1.7 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .2 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

† , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 18 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .311 , , .276 , , .000 , , .4 , , .6 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

† , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 0 , , 11.9 , , .292 , , .233 , , .917 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .8 , , .2 , , 2.4 , - , align="left" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

, align="left" ,

, 25 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .319 , , .222 , , .727 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .3 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

, 18 , , 0 , , 12.1 , , .333 , , .318 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

, align="left" ,

, 13 , , 0 , , 10.2 , , .226 , , .222 , , 1.000 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .1 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

, align="left" ,

, 11 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .381 , , .455 , , .000 , , .9 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 6 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .333 , , .333 , , .750 , , .8 , , .8 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.0 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 147 , , 13 , , 14.1 , , .309 , , .260 , , .810 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , 3.5

Head coaching record

NCAA DI

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , style="text-align:left;", , 41, , 12, , 29, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 41, , 12, , 29, , , , , , —, , —, , —, , —

References

External links

Lindsey Hunter
at NBA.com
Lindsey Hunter Stats
at ESPN.com

at Basketball-Reference.com

at Sports-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Lindsey 1970 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople Alcorn State Braves basketball players African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Mississippi Basketball players from Mississippi Buffalo Bulls men's basketball coaches Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Doping cases in basketball Golden State Warriors assistant coaches Jackson State Tigers basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players Milwaukee Bucks players Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils basketball coaches People from Utica, Mississippi Phoenix Suns assistant coaches Phoenix Suns head coaches Point guards Toronto Raptors players