Larry Hughes
Larry Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. January 23, 1979 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 1998–2012 |
| Known for | NBA career with eight franchises, NBA All-Defensive First Team (2004–05), Larry Hughes Basketball Academy founder |
Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. (born January 23, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. Throughout a 14-year tenure in the NBA, Hughes represented eight different franchises. He played one season at the collegiate level for the Saint Louis Billikens before being chosen eighth overall in the 1998 NBA draft. Additionally, Hughes established the Larry Hughes Basketball Academy.
Early years
Hughes gained recognition as a leading basketball talent in St. Louis while attending Christian Brothers College High School (CBC), where he contributed to winning the Missouri state championship in 1997. The previous summer, he led the St. Louis Eagles to an AAU National Championship and posted 21 points during the 1997 McDonald's All-American Game.
During his single season at Saint Louis University in 1997–98, Hughes averaged 20.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.16 steals per contest. His leadership helped the Billikens advance to the NCAA Tournament's second round after defeating the University of Massachusetts.
NBA career
Hughes’s professional journey included stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Bobcats, and Orlando Magic. Selected in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft by Philadelphia out of Saint Louis University, where he earned Freshman of the Year accolades, Hughes was recognized as a dynamic, athletic guard known for his defensive prowess. While with the 76ers, he and Allen Iverson were nicknamed "the Flight Brothers" due to their high-flying playing style. During his time with the Wizards, he earned a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the 2004–05 season and led the league in steals per game with an average of 2.89.
In 2000, Hughes competed in the Slam Dunk Contest held at Oracle Arena.
In the summer of 2005, Hughes inked a five-year contract worth $70 million with the Cleveland Cavaliers to complement emerging star LeBron James. Prior to suffering a broken finger that required surgery during the 2005–06 season, Hughes averaged 16.2 points and logged 37.6 minutes per game, ranking second on the team behind LeBron. He also maintained a notable rivalry with former teammate Gilbert Arenas.
On May 2, 2006, Hughes was honored with the inaugural Austin Carr Good Guy Award for his positive interactions with media and community involvement.
On February 21, 2008, Hughes was involved in a three-team trade sending him to the Chicago Bulls, alongside players Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons, Shannon Brown, Ben Wallace, and Joe Smith.
Nearly a year later on February 19, 2009, Hughes was traded by Chicago to the New York Knicks in exchange for Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson.
On February 18, 2010, Hughes was part of another three-team trade that sent him to the Sacramento Kings while facilitating Tracy McGrady’s move to New York. Sacramento waived Hughes on February 23, 2010. Subsequently, on March 13, he signed with the Charlotte Bobcats for the remainder of that season.
Hughes signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Orlando Magic on December 9, 2011; however, he was released on February 1, 2012 after averaging only 1.3 points across nine games.
In summer 2017, Hughes joined Ice Cube's BIG3 League as a member of the "Killer 3s" squad.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Philadelphia | style="background:#cfecec;"| 50* || 1 || 19.8 || .411 || .154 || .709 || 3.8 || 1.5 || .9 || .3 || 10.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Philadelphia | 50 || 5 || 20.4 || .416 || .216 || .746 || 3.2 || 1.5 || 1.1 || .2 || 10.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Golden State | 32 || 32 || 40.8 || .389 || .243 || .736 || 5.9 || 4.1 || 1.9 || .5 || 22.7 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Golden State | 50 || 45 || 36.9 || .383 || .187 || .766 || 5.5 || 4.5 || 1.9 || .6 || 16.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Golden State | 73 || 56 || 28.1 || .423 || .194 || .737 || 3.4 || 4.3 || 1.5 || .3 || 12.3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 67 || 56 || 31.9 || .467 || .367 || .731 || 4.6 || 3.1 || 1.3 || .4 || 12.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 61 || 61 || 33.8 || .397 || .341 || .797 || 5.3|| 2.4|| 1.6|| .4||18.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 61||61||38.7||.430||.282||.777||6.3||4.7||style="background:#cfecec;"|2.9*||.3||22.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Cleveland |36||31||35.6||.409||.368||.756||4.5||3.6||1.5||0.6||15.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Cleveland |70||68||37.1||.400||.333||.676||3.8||3.7||1.3||0.4||14.9 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Cleveland |40||32||30.3||.377||.341||.815||3.6||2.4||1.5||0..3||12..3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Playoffs
|- | align="left" | 1999 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 8 || 2 || 24.8 || .403 || .000 || .833 || 4..6|||2..0|||1..9|||1..1|||10..3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |}
Personal life
Hughes was featured as the romantic interest of Kelly Rowland in the music video for Nelly's hit track "Dilemma."
In 2014, he established the Larry Hughes Basketball Academy, which has been operating since 2019 out of locations in Chesterfield and Fenton, Missouri.
By November 2020, Hughes revealed intentions to launch two cannabis dispensaries in St. Louis alongside former Knicks teammate Al Harrington, marking his venture into the cannabis industry.
Additionally, Hughes serves as the godfather to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, creating a personal connection to emerging NBA talent through Tatum’s father, who played alongside Hughes in both high school and college.