Mike Bibby
Former NBA point guard and current Sacramento State head coach.
Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Sacramento State Hornets of the Big West Conference (BWC). He played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a point guard.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Head coach
- League
- Big West Conference
- Team
- Sacramento State Hornets
- Born
- 13 May 1978
- Birthplace
- Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.
- High school
- Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Arizona)
- College
- Arizona (1996–1998)
- Draft round
- 1
Lore & Background
Bibby played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, with whom he won the 1997 NCAA Championship during his freshman season. He was named Pac-10 Player of the Year and was a first-team All-American selection during his sophomore year, en route to being drafted second overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1998 NBA draft. After spending three seasons with the Grizzlies, Bibby was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2001, where he helped the team reach the Western Conference Finals in 2002 as their starting point guard. After seven seasons in Sacramento, he was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in 2008 and spent parts of four seasons with the team. After a short stint with the Washington Wizards, Bibby signed with the Miami Heat in 2011, with whom he reached the 2011 NBA Finals as a starter. He finished his career with the New York Knicks during the 2011–12 season.
Reader's Guide
Bibby attended Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, and won an Arizona state championship as a point guard under coach Jerry Conner. He is the son of professional basketball player Henry Bibby and the nephew of Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bibby. Although his father, former UCLA basketball star Henry Bibby, was named the head coach at USC when Bibby was a senior in high school, Bibby committed to Arizona. As a freshman playing under coach Lute Olson, Bibby helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAA championship in 1997, scoring 19 points in the overtime, 84–79 NCAA Championship Game win versus the University of Kentucky and finished third in the voting for the 1998 Wooden Award. He was selected to the ’97 All-Final Four Team, after also being named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year after posting averages of 13.5 ppg, 5.2 apg and 3.2 rpg. Bibby and his father are one of four father-son duos to each win an NCAA basketball championship. His sophomore year was just as impressive, as he was named Pac-10 Player of the Year (1997–98), after averaging 17.2 ppg, 5.7 apg, and 3.0 rpg (.464 FG%, .387 3FG%, .755 FT%). He started all 69 games during his Wildcat career and earned First-Team All-America honors after his sophomore campaign. Following his sophomore season, Bibby entered the 1998 NBA Draft and was seen as the favorite to be selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the first overall pick, but was instead selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the second overall pick.
The Sacramento Kings Era
Bibby's most defining professional chapter occurred after his trade from Vancouver to the Sacramento Kings on June 27, 2001. Teaming up with Chris Webber, he formed one of the league's best duos, immediately guiding the team to an NBA best-record at 61–21 and a Pacific division title. This era is best remembered for the intense 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, where Bibby solidified his reputation as a clutch performer by hitting a game-winning shot in Game 5. Although the series ultimately went to seven games before falling to the eventual champions, his leadership earned him a 7-year, $80.5 million contract extension. Despite battling injuries in the 2002-03 season that limited him to 55 games, he still averaged 15.9 points per game with the Kings going 59–23. For the 2003-04 season, Bibby posted some of the best numbers of his career, scoring 1,506 points (18.4 per game). He averaged a career-high 21.1 points per game during the 2005-06 season. Bibby was made a guest of honor by the Sacramento Kings on November 20, 2014, sitting courtside alongside former teammate Chris Webber.
Rookie Success and Franchise Records
Entering the NBA Draft in 1998, Bibby was seen as the favorite to be selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the first overall pick, but was instead selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the second overall pick. He immediately made an impact, averaging 13.2 points, 6.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game during a lockout-shortened rookie season that earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Over his first three seasons in Vancouver, he consistently improved his scoring output while establishing himself as a primary playmaker, reaching a career-high of 8.4 assists per game by the 2000-01 campaign. On January 16, 2000, and April 2, 2000, Bibby twice tied Vancouver's franchise record for steals in a single game with seven. Despite these individual achievements, the team struggled to find consistent success, leading to his trade to Sacramento on June 27, 2001.
Resurgence with Atlanta
After leaving Sacramento in 2008, Bibby joined the struggling Atlanta Hawks on February 16, 2008, in exchange for Shelden Williams, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second-round draft pick. Battling injuries and joining a Hawks team that was 22–28, Bibby put up 14.1 points and 6.6 assists per game to lead the Hawks to their first playoff berth in eight years. As an eighth-seed underdog, he helped the Hawks force an improbable seven-game series against the Boston Celtics, who went on to win the NBA Championship. The next season, Bibby averaged 15 points, 5 assists and 1.2 steals per game to help the Hawks win their first playoff series since 1999, against the Miami Heat. Bibby was also selected as a participant for the Three Point Shooting Competition. On July 7, 2009, Bibby and the Hawks agreed to a three-year deal worth about $18 million.
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