The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2025
- Class:
- 2011
(pronunciation: roy-AL)
A four-year starter at both point guard and shooting guard during his career at Texas, Royal Ivey left his mark as one of the top one-on-one perimeter defenders in program history. A two-time Big 12 Conference All-Defensive Team selection, he finished his collegiate career ranked first in games started (126), tied for third in games played (133) and 24th in scoring (1,036 points). Ivey helped lead the Longhorns to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including three-straight trips to the Sweet 16 (2002-03-04) and a spot in the 2003 Final Four. As a freshman in 2000-01, he played in 33 games (26 starts) and ranked third on the team in assists (57). Ivey posted a breakout performance in the Preseason NIT semifinal against No. 2 Duke in Madison Square Garden with a season-high 11 points and three steals in 23 minutes. One of the most improved players in the country during his sophomore season in 2001-02, he started all 34 games and shared the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors with Fredie Williams. Ivey saw his scoring average jump from 2.8 ppg as a freshman to 10.9 ppg in his sophomore year as he ranked second on the team in scoring and third in assists (48), minutes (28.3 mpg) and field goal percentage (47.5). He hit 4-of-4 free throws in the final 24 seconds to lead the Longhorns past Mississippi State in the NCAA Second Round in Dallas, helping Texas advance to the Sweet 16. As a junior in 2002-03, Ivey started all 33 games and was tabbed the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Houston Chronicle while earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. He ranked fifth on the team in scoring (7.9 ppg) and third in assists (54) and steals (31) while pacing the Longhorns to a 26-7 record and a trip to the 2003 Final Four, marking the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Semifinals since the 1947 season. During his senior year in 2003-04, Ivey earned third-team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s media and was selected to the USBWA All-District 7 team and the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. While serving as team captain, he started all 33 games and led the squad in steals (41) while ranking second in minutes (29.7 mpg) and third in scoring (9.4 ppg). Ivey tallied a team-high 17 points, five assists and five rebounds to lead the Longhorns to a NCAA Second Round win against North Carolina in Denver, as Texas advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. Ivey was selected as the No. 37 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He played in 492 career games over a total of 10 seasons for four different teams in the NBA, including the Hawks (2004-07), Milwaukee Bucks (2007-08, 2009-10), Philadelphia 76ers (2008-10, 2012-13) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2010-12). Ivey earned his bachelor’s degree in Applied Learning and Development with a minor in Social Work from Texas in 2011. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League for two seasons (2014-16). Ivey has served for the last nine years as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2016-18), New York Knicks (2018-20), Brooklyn Nets (2020-23) and Houston Rockets (2023-present). He was named head coach of the national team of South Sudan in May 2021. Over the following two summers, Ivey guided South Sudan to an 11-1 record in African qualifying to reach the 2023 World Cup, where South Sudan claimed the automatic qualifying spot from Africa for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In its Olympic debut in Men’s Basketball last summer, South Sudan earned a 90-79 victory over Puerto Rico, marking just the second win for an African country at the Olympics since 1996. Ivey and his wife, Deanna, have one daughter, Rori.
