Rodney Hood is an American basketball player in the National Basketball Association, NBA, who debuted his professional career in 2014 with Utah Jazz. Hood also played college basketball at both Mississippi State University and Duke University, where he played freshman and sophomore year. The little striker and shooting guard was transferred to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, where he is ready to end his career. As we watch him do so, we want to find out more about him, his NBA contract, career statistics, and injury status.
Rodney Hood Biography
Rodney Hood was born on October 20, 1992, in Meridian, Mississippi, to parents Ricky and Vicky Hood. His parents both played basketball in Mississippi State from 1978-1980 and are now employed, his father as director of the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississipi and his mother as director of Newton High School. Hood grew up with his brother Ricky Hood Jr. and sister Whitney, who also played basketball in Chattanooga.
He attended Meridian High School in his hometown, where he played basketball with his peers. In all his high school games, Hood averaged 46.9 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists. He also led his school’s team to a 29-2 record and the 6A championship.
Rodney Hood considered a five-star rival recruit, number 5 of the minor forwards, and number 16 of the nation, signed up for Mississipi State University (2011-2012). As a true rookie, he earned the SEC All-Freshman Team and played in 32 games with an average of 10.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. His transfer to Duke University in July 2012 caused him to be suspended from the 2012-13 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
But in his second year, from 2013-14, he quickly established himself as one of the team’s best players and earned the All-ACC honors of the second team. He completed 35 games with an average of 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Rodney decided to give up the last two years of his college qualification and line up for the 2014 NBA draft.
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NBA Career and Contract
Utah Jazz voted Hood the 23rd overall winner in this year’s NBA draft on June 26, 2014. Months after signing his contract with the franchise company, on July 11, 2014, Hood delivered the best game of the season. With a 94-66 win over the Charlotte Hornets, Hood helped Jazz win for the sixth year in a row, scoring 24 points at 9-11 from the field and 5-5 from the three-point range.
Rodney Hood solidified his position in Jazz’s starting line-up for the 2015-16 season by starting in all 79 games, 61 of which were double digits, and scoring more than 20 points in 15 games. He established himself as an offensive option and proved to be a valuable asset to the team.
During Jazz’s winning match against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 2, 2016, Hood scored a career highlight with a 92-87 win in overtime, scoring 32 points. With his excellent shot beyond the three-point line, Hood scored his first game-winner in his career on December 16, 2016. Just 0.8 seconds before the end of the game, Hood stole the day’s victory for Jazz in a 103-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks; he finished the game with 15 points.
The following season, on January 13, 2017, Hood led his team to a 110-77 win over the Detroit Pistons, 27 points ahead of his record. Three months later, his efforts earned the team another victory: a 110-109 win in overtime against the Sacramento Kings. For the rest of the season, Hood led Jazz to two more victories: 104-89 over the Dallas Mavericks on October 30 and 125-85 over the Orlando Magic on November 18. In total, he scored 56 points.
On February 8, 2018, Hood joined the Cleveland Cavaliers after the team acquired him in a three-team deal that also involved two other teams – the Jazz and the Sacramento Kings. He reportedly signed a one-year contract worth $3.4 million.
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He played his first game with the Cavaliers three days after the swap and had his first taste of winning with the team in a 121-99 win over the Boston Celtics; Hood scored 15 points in the game. While the Cavaliers made it to the 2018 NBA final but lost to the Golden State Warriors, Hood signed with the Cavaliers again on September 10, 2018.
The ballplayer only wanted a short-term contract with the Cavaliers, allegedly because of their unimpressive offer. His value on the open market fell after an unimpressive season in which he dropped out of the rotation during the playoffs. It is expected that Hood will take the opportunity to fill the offense after the departure of LeBron James.
Injury Stats
Rodney Hood was ready for the 2013 World University Games team when he suffered a foot injury during training camp. While waiting for his full recovery, he missed a few weeks of training at Duke. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, he was diagnosed with a bone contusion.
As far as we know, there are no current injury reports about the shooting guard. He just wants to sign big contracts and stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a long time.