Royal Ivey was a standout basketball player for the Longhorns in the early 2000's, leading the team to three consecutive Sweet 16 berths and an appearance in the 2003 Final Four. He was also a 4-year starter for Texas and was one of the best defensive players in the nation throughout the 2003/2004 season.
The Hall of Honor welcomes a Longhorn great: Royal Ivey 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/nhsvlbffTN
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) July 23, 2025
He went on to be drafted in the 2nd round by the Atlanta Hawks in 2004, where he was a valuable member of the team's bench rotation for the next three seasons. He was then signed by the Bucks via free agency in 2007.
Though he was a fairly productive member as a backup PG/SG in Milwaukee's backcourt, especially on defense, he was released following the conclusion of the 2008/2009 season. He then bounced around between Oklahoma City's and Philadelphia's rosters over the next six or seven years.
He ended up playing in a total of 492 NBA games with 114 starts for four different teams throughout his 10-year professional career.
He got into coaching in 2014 when he was named an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Blue, OKC's NBA Developmental League team. In 2016, he was elevated to be an assistant coach for the Thunder and never looked back. Since then he's been a well-regarded NBA assistant, working alongside the likes of David Fizdale, Mike Miller, and Steve Nash.
He's currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, while also serving as the head coach for the South Sudan national team. Ivey led the country to their first major tournament in 2021, and they were very successful, unfortunately losing to Tunisia in the quarterfinal round.
The University of Texas is extremely proud and honored to have Royal Ivey associated with the athletics program, and he was a shoo-in for the Hall of Honor this year.