Monday, July 28, 2008

Sixers officially add Ivey

The Sixers officially signed free agent guard Royal Ivey Monday afternoon.

In four NBA seasons, Ivey (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) has appeared in 263 games with 109 starts, averaging 4.0 points, 1.5 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game while shooting 42.1% from the floor, 33.1% from 3-point range and 71.4% from the line. He has averaged just 0.7 turnovers for his career.

Last season for Milwaukee, Ivey saw action in 75 games with 20 starts, averaging career-highs of 5.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game. He hit 35 3-pointers in 2007-08 after having just 12 3FGM total his first three seasons combined. Ivey scored in double-figures 15 times last season after doing so a total of 14 times his first three seasons.

"We're happy that we were able to add Royal Ivey to our roster," said Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski. "As we continue to add to our team, we feel that his versatility, ability to handle the point guard duties and defensive strength will bolster our depth and provide us with additional options in our backcourt."

Ivey was originally selected by Atlanta with the 37th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. He played his first three seasons with the Hawks and made 66 starts for them in 2005-06. That season, Ivey committed just 23 turnovers in 73 games played.

A four-year starter at the University of Texas, Ivey helped guide the Longhorns to the NCAA Tournament each season, including three consecutive Sweet 16 berths and one Final Four appearance. He was a two-time Big 12 Conference All-Defensive team selection and was named third-team All-Big 12 by the media his senior season.

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