SALT LAKE CITY — For those sports aficionados, Detroit Pistons rookie guard Jaden Ivey has a strong Texas connection.
Ivey’s grandfather, the late James Hunter, was an all-state football and basketball player in Silsbee, TX, which is located in Southeast Texas. Hunter went on to become an All-American cornerback at Grambling State University in Grambling, LA.
Hunter also was the 10th overall pick of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, whom he played for during the ’76-’82 seasons. In addition, Hunter led the Lions in interceptions in ’76, ’77 and ’80, and was chosen to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team in 1976, and in 2020 he was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.