RJ Hunter joins the Kings

The Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings are pleased to officially announce the signing of former NBA first-round pick RJ Hunter. Hunter joins the Club following six years playing in the NBA, G-League and Europe.

Known for his formidable shooting ability, Hunter is an efficient scorer with deep range. His length and size, as well as his ability to space the floor will be a welcomed addition to the group. The 27-year-old has most recently been playing with Galatasaray of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).  

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Having already spent some time with Hunter during his time at the Chicago Bulls, Kings Head Coach Chase Buford is looking forward to re-uniting with the talented import in Sydney.

“RJ is an elite shooter that will make the court bigger for everyone he plays with” Buford said.

“He can also handle and pass and will be especially lethal in the open court. He is a great teammate, and we look forward to incorporating him into our group” he added.

At 196cm, the Ohio native played three seasons at Georgia State University where he became the school’s All-Time Leader in Points Scored (1,819) – a record which he currently still holds.

In his final season at GSU he averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists, including one of the all-time great individual performances in NCAA Tournament history to upset the No. 3 seed Baylor in 2015. Thriving in the big moments, he was twice named Sun Belt Conference Basketball Player of the Year (2014, 2015), twice named the Sun Belt Male Athlete of the Year (2014, 2015), and twice named in the All-Sun Belt First Team (2014, 2015). He was also the only player from a school in Georgia to be named to the Naismith Trophy watch list in his final season. 

During his junior year, Hunter declared for the 2015 NBA Draft where he was the 28^th overall pick in the First Round by the Boston Celtics.

Following his time in Boston he spent time with the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets, along with stints in the G-League, before heading to Europe where he has spent the past two seasons playing in Turkey.

Having seen the pathway paved by those before him from the Kings into the NBA, Hunter is looking forward to continuing to build on his career in Sydney.

“I’m really looking forward to coming to Sydney to join the Kings” Hunter said.

“This is an exciting new opportunity for me, I’ve heard great things about the NBL, and I’m looking forward to playing under Chase”.

“I’m excited to get over there and get to work” he added.

Hunter is the ninth contracted player to join the Kings roster with two spots remaining, and a possible Next Star ahead of NBL22.

He joins Xavier Cooks, Tom Vodanovich, Jarell Martin, Jordan Hunter, Shaun Bruce, Dejan Vasiljevic, Angus Glover, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (NRP) and Biwali Bayles as contracted players, and Jaylin Galloway locked in as a Development Player.

The 2021-22 NBL season is expected to resume in October with further details to be provided in the coming months.

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