Queensline
Born in Harlem on Dec. 20, 1981, Royal Terence Ivey is a former professional basketball player. He currently coaches the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Developmental League and runs an event for youth in Hollis called the Defending Your Dream Basketball & Life Skills Clinic.
Ivey developed a reputation as a steady journeyman through a pro career spanning 10 seasons and five teams in two countries. He reached the NBA finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012, but the team fell to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games.
He has a younger brother, Sterling, who assists at the elder Ivey’s basketball camps. Ivey also is the son of Rod Ivey, a page designer for this newspaper.
The future NBA point guard gained recognition for his skills on the hardwood at Cardozo High School in Bayside before transferring to the exclusive Blair Academy in New Jersey. After shooting the lights out at the prep level, Ivey accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Texas, where he started in 126 games, a school record.
After a stellar career with the Longhorns, Royal Ivey was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks with the 37th overall pick. With the selection, he joined Rafer Alston and Duane Causwell as former Cardozo basketball phenoms who made the jump to the big leagues. Ivey played three years with his first team and started a total of 89 games.
For the remainder of his pro career, the former Queens cager shuttled between the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder and started a total of 25 games over eight seasons. He came off the bench once in the 2012 Finals against the Heat and scored six points.
As of 2014, the 6-foot-4 point guard appears to have wrapped up his playing career. He returned to the Thunder on a 10-day contract in January, but team management chose not to extend the deal. The hoops star from Harlem finished the 2013-14 season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Over the years, the former NBA player from New York has applied his same unyielding work ethic to life off of the court as well.
During the 2011 lockout, the former college standout returned to Austin to complete his college degree. Commenting on his newest achievement, the college graduate reflected “My mom would always say, ‘I didn’t send you to school to be in the NBA.’ That was just icing on the cake.”
Royal Ivey played in 492 games in 10 years in the NBA, starting 114. He averaged 3.3 points a game and shot 36 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
On Sept. 14 this year, Ivey began the next stage of his career when the Thunder came calling once again.
Ivey was named an assistant coach of the Developmental League Oklahoma City Blue in their inaugural season.
The future is bright for this Queens high school kid who made it to the big leagues.
For further information, call the Greater Astoria Historical Society at (718) 278-0700, or visit astorialic.org.
