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RUTH HUNTER

Senior Director of Team Development

Olympic Gold Medalist, Sports Business Leader and Global Humanitarian Ruth Hunterbegins her sixth season as a member of the HEAT organization and second as Senior Director of Team Development. Hunter collaborates with the Miami HEAT Player Programs department and Basketball Operations staff on the continued development and implementation of the Player Programs’ initiatives. Furthermore, she works jointly with the Basketball Analytics team on the continued development of statistical and analytics driven analysis for coaches, scouts and Basketball Operations. The WNBA veteran originally joined the HEAT as a member of the broadcast team.

Hunter, who was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and broadcast experience with her. From 2002-18 she coveredthe Notre Dame women’s basketball program as both a radio and television analyst, a stint that saw her call multiple Final Four appearances. During the 2016-17 season she served as the General Manager of the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars. She governed the team’s business and financial operations, implemented strategic planning, managed all team personnel decisions including the draft and free agency, and captained the basketball operations staff, coaching staff and scouts. In addition to her duties as General Manager of the Stars, she also served as one of the team’s television analysts. In 2017 she also served as a TV analyst for FOX Sports Southwest’s coverage of the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League.

In addition to her business acumen and broadcast capabilities, Hunter has an extensive resume as a leader and humanitarian. She was the first Vice President of the WNBA Player’s Association, a role she fulfilled from 2005-13. Additionally, she has served as a spokesperson for organizations such as Share Our Strength and the United Nations Foundation and has been a NBA/WNBA Ambassador spokesperson from 2013-18. In 2018 she served as the Global Director of the NBA Academy Women’s Program, where she participated in scouting andconducting international camps. Her obligations required that she identify the roadblocks impeding international prospects and respond by carving out a path for these prospects to become domestic student athletes. Hunter’s work as a humanitarian has been recognized through the years, including in 2014 when she was selected a JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Honoree.

On the hardwood, Hunter enjoyed a decorated career. She initially arrived in Miami after being selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2001 WNBA Draft by the Miami Sol. Hunter, atwo-time WNBA Champion with the Detroit Shock, was named Finals MVP in 2003, becoming the first woman to earn MVP honors in both the NCAA and WNBA Finals.  Other accolades include a 2005 WNBA All-Star selection and the WNBA’s 2011 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. Over a 13-year professional career that included stops in Miami, Detroit, San Antonio, Chicago and Atlanta, Hunter appeared in 387 games (262 starts) and averaged 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.30 blocks, 1.2 assists and 22.2 minutes. In 2004, she won an Olympic Gold Medal with the USA Women’s Basketball Team in Athens. Hunter also had a distinguished collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame.  As a senior she led the Fighting Irish to the 2001 NCAA Championship, being named MVP of the Final Four, the Naismith Player of the Year and the NCAA Academic All-American of the Year in the process.  For her efforts, Hunter was inducted into Notre Dame’s Basketball Ring of Honor in 2010 and received the school’s Edward “Moose” Krause Distinguished Service Award in 2015.

Hunter graduated from the University of Notre Dame Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology in 2001. She added an Executive MBA from Notre Dame in 2016. She currently resides in South Florida with her husband, Benjamin, and their son, Theo.