In July, it was significant news that Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird had arranged some private workouts for embattled center Roy Hibbert with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a pretty fair center during his day.
Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and a Hall of Famer who played 20 seasons in the NBA and was a six-time MVP, was reportedly going to help Hibbert with his offensive game, which was mostly offensive to the fans during the second half of last season.
On the Pacers’ media day Monday, Hibbert was asked about his sessions with Abdul-Jabbar. The answer was fairly astounding:
Hibbert said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also helped him mentally. Kareem joined Roy at his home for ninja movies. Seriously.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) September 29, 2014
Maybe Hibbert learned the sky hook, maybe he didn’t. But he watched some flicks with a guy who is known for his love of the martial arts and who once appeared in a movie with Bruce Lee … so there’s that.
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Hibbert was an All-Star for the second time in 2014, but his season spectacularly cratered after Indiana signed center Andrew Bynum on Feb. 1.
Even though Bynum played only 36 minutes in two games for the Pacers, Hibbert didn’t respond well to his arrival.
Through Jan. 31, Hibbert averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.3 assists in 30.4 minutes per game in 45 games, shooting .463/2-for-5/.745.
But after Bynum’s arrival, it was a whole ‘nother story. In 36 games, Hibbert averaged nine points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 28.9 minutes, shooting .406/—/.824.
And then there was the postseason.
After appearing to break out in the 2013 postseason, averaging 17 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, Hibbert might as well have had his picture on a milk carton for much of the 2014 playoffs.
He averaged 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and shot 44.9 percent.
When you’re 7-foot-2 and can’t make 45 percent of your shots, that’s a problem.
But maybe Hibbert learned how to clear space under the basket with a well-timed round kick.
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