Nathaniel Robert Hinton (born June 8, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Houston Cougars.

Nate Hinton
Hinton with Houston in 2019
No. 14 – Rio Grande Valley Vipers
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1999-06-08) June 8, 1999 (age 25)
Gastonia, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeHouston (2018–2020)
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Dallas Mavericks
2021Long Island Nets
2021Santa Cruz Warriors
2021Texas Legends
2021–2022Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2022Indiana Pacers
2022→Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2022–2023Cleveland Charge
2023–2024Houston Rockets
2023–2024Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2024–presentRio Grande Valley Vipers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High school career

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Hinton started playing basketball as a freshman for Forestview High School in Gastonia, North Carolina, before transferring to Gaston Day School in the same city. For his sophomore season, he moved to Northside Christian Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, averaging 18 points, six rebounds and four steals per game, and led his team to the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) 2A title game.[1] Hinton returned to Gaston Day for his final two years of high school.[2] As a junior, he averaged a team-high 19.1 points per game, helping his team reach the NCISAA 2A semi-finals.[3]

After his junior season, Hinton led Team Loaded NC to the Adidas Gauntlet final, drawing the attention of several high-major NCAA Division I programs.[4] As a senior, he averaged 19.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.7 assists and four steals per game, helping Gaston Day to a NCISAA 2A runner-up finish. Hinton was an NCISAA 2A All-State selection and was named Gaston Gazette Player of the Year. He scored 2,217 points in his high school career.[5]

Recruiting

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Hinton was a consensus four-star recruit and committed to play college basketball for Houston. He became the top recruit to join the program under head coach Kelvin Sampson.[6]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Nate Hinton
SG
Gastonia, NC Gaston Day School (NC) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Sep 17, 2017 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 127  247Sports: 116  ESPN:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Houston 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  • "2018 Houston Cougars Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.

College career

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Hinton was the preseason Freshman of the Year in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).[7] On January 6, 2019, he was named AAC Freshman of the Week after recording a season-high 19 points and nine rebounds in a 90–77 win over Memphis.[8] On March 10, Hinton posted his first double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds in an 85–69 victory over Cincinnati, helping Houston clinch the AAC regular season title.[7] As a freshman, he averaged 7.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game and was selected to the AAC All-Freshman Team.[9]

On December 11, 2019, Hinton recorded a sophomore season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 71–63 win over UT Arlington.[10] He tallied career-highs and set Fertitta Center records of 16 rebounds and five steals, to go with 20 points, in a 78–63 victory over UCF on January 3, 2020.[9][11] As a sophomore, Hinton averaged 10.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, two assists and 1.4 steals per game, earning second-team All-AAC honors.[9] He was also named to the NABC All-District 24 first team.[12] On April 5, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[13] On May 18, Hinton announced that he had hired an agent and would remain in the draft, forgoing his remaining two years of college eligibility.[14]

Professional career

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Dallas Mavericks (2020–2021)

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After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Hinton signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks.[15] On February 2, 2021, it was announced Hinton would have his first assignment at the NBA G League with the Long Island Nets.[16] He then moved to the Santa Cruz Warriors. He was re-signed on August 3, 2021.[17] On August 27, 2021, he was waived by the Mavericks.[18]

Indiana Pacers / Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2021–2022)

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On September 7, 2021, Hinton signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Indiana Pacers.[19] He subsequently joined their G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 14 games, Hinton averaged 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. On December 30, he signed a 10-day contract with Indiana[20] and on January 9, 2022, he was reacquired by Fort Wayne.[21]

On April 7, 2022, the Pacers signed Hinton to a two-way contract.[22]

Cleveland Charge (2022–2023)

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On October 24, 2022, Hinton joined the Cleveland Charge training camp roster.[23]

Houston Rockets / Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2023–present)

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On August 2, 2023, Hinton signed with the Houston Rockets.[24] However, on October 21, 2023, he was waived by the Rockets,[25] but was re-signed to a two-way deal two days later.[26] On July 4, 2024, Hinton signed a standard contract with the Rockets,[27] but was waived on October 19.[28] On October 27, he re-joined the Vipers.[29]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Dallas 21 0 4.4 .357 .211 .700 .4 .4 .3 .1 2.0
2021–22 Indiana 2 0 1.2 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2023–24 Houston 15 0 5.0 .423 .500 .800 1.5 .7 .2 .1 2.2
Career 38 0 4.5 .377 .333 .733 .8 .5 .3 .1 1.9

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Houston 37 1 19.2 .413 .337 .857 4.4 1.2 1.0 .1 7.2
2019–20 Houston 31 31 30.3 .410 .387 .756 8.7 2.0 1.4 .2 10.6
Career 68 32 24.3 .411 .366 .800 6.4 1.6 1.2 .1 8.8

Personal life

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Hinton's father, Dr. Benjamin Hinton, has been the pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Gastonia since March 1991. Hinton had a religious upbringing.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Wertz Jr., Langston (November 10, 2016). "Gaston Day hopes its 'Big 3' can help land rare boys' basketball state title". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  2. ^ Flagler, Jack (July 13, 2016). "Nate Hinton on returning to Gaston Day basketball: 'We know we have chemistry'". The Gaston Gazette. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Wertz Jr., Langston (July 17, 2017). "How Gaston Day point guard became weekend sensation, talk of recruiting trail". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  4. ^ McDonald, Dan (July 20, 2017). "Hinton sees recruitment soar after strong adidas Gauntlet Finale". Rivals. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Walker, Richard (April 6, 2018). "2018 All-Gazette basketball honors". The Gaston Gazette. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Duarte, Joseph (September 17, 2017). "Top recruit Nate Hinton commits to UH". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Wilson, Aaron (March 14, 2019). "Nate Hinton leads group of Cougars' next stars". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "No. 19 Houston beats Memphis to improve to 15–0". Associated Press. January 6, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Nate Hinton". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  10. ^ Duarte, Joseph (December 11, 2019). "Nate Hinton's career night lifts the University of Houston past UT Arlington". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  11. ^ Gardner, Kris (January 4, 2020). "Nate Hinton does everything in Houston's 78–63 win over UCF". Houston Roundball Review. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Hughes, Joe (April 5, 2020). "Former Gaston Day basketball standout declares for NBA Draft". The Gaston Gazette. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  13. ^ Yanez, Andy (April 5, 2020). "Nate Hinton declares for the 2020 NBA draft but will maintain college eligibility". The Daily Cougar. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  14. ^ Romero, Jhair (May 18, 2020). "Reports: Nate Hinton to keep name in NBA Draft, go pro". The Daily Cougar. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  15. ^ Sefko, Eddie (December 1, 2020). "Mavericks sign eight, including Barea, Iwundu, Burke". Mavs.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  16. ^ "Tyler Bey and Nate Hinton Transferred To Long Island Nets". NBA.com. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  17. ^ Adams, Luke (August 3, 2021). "Mavs Re-Sign Nate Hinton To Two-Way Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "Dallas Mavericks waive second-year guard Nate Hinton". The Dallas Morning News. August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  19. ^ "Pacers Sign Nate Hinton". NBA.com. September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  20. ^ Vance, Dan (December 30, 2021). "Pacers call up Mad Ants' Hinton". WANE.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  21. ^ "2021-22 NBA G League transactions". NBA.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  22. ^ "Pacers Sign Terry Taylor And Duane Washington, Jr". NBA.com. April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  23. ^ "Charge 2022 Training Camp Roster". gleague.nba.com. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  24. ^ "Rockets Sign Five Players". NBA.com. August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  25. ^ Adams, Luke (October 20, 2023). "Rockets Cut Nate Hinton". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  26. ^ Joshi, Hiren (October 23, 2023). "Rockets Sign Nate Hinton to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  27. ^ "Rockets Announce Roster Moves". NBA.com. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  28. ^ Feigen, Jonathan [@Jonathan_Feigen] (October 19, 2024). "Rockets waived Nate Hinton, Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Matt Bradley. They will leave their 15th full-contract roster spot open" (Tweet). Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ "Vipers Announce 2024-25 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. October 27, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
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