Steven Hunter

Steven D. Hunter is a professional basketball player from the United States of America who plays as a center or small forward. Hunter went to the Proviso East High School where he played a major part in a team that has seen the likes of Michael Finley, Jim Brewer, Dee Brown, Shannon Brown, Doc Rivers and Sherell Ford play in their colours. Hunter went on to play at DePaul University, playing for two seasons before declaring for the 2001 NBA Draft.

Hunter was picked at 15th overall, by the Orlando Magic, at the 2001 NBA Draft.

In his three seasons with the Magic, Hunter struggled to become a regular part of the team, playing mostly from the bench. His best performance came in 2002-03, when he scored at 3.9 points per game with 2.8 rebounds and playing 13.5 minutes per game. This was his biggest contribution in a season, to the Magic, before he became a free agent at the end of his mandatory 3-year rookie contract.

Hunter was picked up by the Phoenix Suns where he played regularly from the bench. He had a career-high 1.3 blocks per game, with the Suns, playing 76 games, another career-high.

Hunter became a free agent again, with the Suns denying him a new contract. The Philadelphia 76ers were the next team to come in for Hunter, bringing him on for two seasons. Hunter showed tremendous promise in his first season with the Sixers, scoring at 6.1 points per game with 3.9 rebounds. He was offered another year’s contract, for 2006-07, one where he had a career-high 6.4 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds and .4 assists per game. Hunter started a career-high 41 games with 22.9 minutes per game under his belt.

He was traded out to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets who, at a later date, decided to cancel the deal. Hunter moved to the Denver Nuggets instead, playing just 19 games through 2008-09. Towards August 2009, Hunter was on his way to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a 2010 first-round draft pick as well as a future second-round pick.