The Sixers are bringing in a former All-Star center … but not to play.
The team is hiring nine-year NBA veteran Roy Hibbert as a player development associate, a team source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. Shams Charania of the Athletic and Stadium reported it first.
Hibbert, who announced his retirement a little over a year ago, is just 32 years old and played his final NBA game in April of 2017. He was a two-time All-Star for the Indiana Pacers and a Second Team All-Defensive pick in 2013-14. Hibbert is actually six months younger than Al Horford, the team's new starting power forward that was just signed to a four-year deal.
The team has overhauled the coaching staff quite a bit. Brett Brown lost top assistants Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) and Billy Lange (Saint Joseph's) to head coaching gigs. The Sixers also lost Lindsey Harding, the team's first female assistant, to the Sacramento Kings this offseason.
Hibbert will join Ime Udoka, Joseph Blair, Cameron Hodges and Andrew Jones III as newcomers to the coaching staff. Udoka and Blair will serve as assistants on Brown's bench while Hodges and Jones will be part of the team's player development staff.
Given Hibbert's position in the league, it seems likely that he'll spend time working with Joel Embiid. Hibbert was considered one of the top big men in the league at one point. It could be helpful to have a guy with Hibbert's résumé that's still young enough to relate to the Sixers' young All-Star center.
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