Chicago Bulls (2003–2010) 2003 draft Hinrich was selected by the
Chicago Bulls in the
2003 NBA draft with the seventh overall pick, resulting in mild surprise because he had been expected to be a mid to late first-round draft pick. Some doubted that his college game would translate successfully to the professional league, in part because he played
shooting guard for his final two years in college and was considered too small to play that position professionally. Hinrich's high selection in the draft is credited to a good workout in front of NBA team scouts. The Bulls needed a point guard, as
Jay Williams was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. After being picked by the Bulls, Hinrich said he knew they had a need at point guard:
2003–04 season Hinrich suffered an acute
viral infection shortly before the beginning of his first season, requiring months to fully recover. However, he played well after his recovery, During this same season, Hinrich's shot accuracy inside the three-point line (38.6 percent on field goals) was actually poorer than from behind it (39.0 percent on three-pointers). Hinrich was named to the NBA's "
Got Milk? All-Rookie First Team" along with
Dwyane Wade,
LeBron James,
Carmelo Anthony, and
Chris Bosh. He was also awarded the Bulls'
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award or Player of the Year award (POY) for the
2003–04 season.
2004–05 season In his second year, Hinrich's
field goal percentage went up to .397, a marginal improvement. Hinrich is known for his intense on-court demeanor; he was involved in a minor scuffle between the Bulls and the
Washington Wizards in the preseason of his second year in the league, for which he was fined $10,000. On a drive to the basket, then Wizards player
Larry Hughes head butted Hinrich out of bounds, which prompted Bulls players
Antonio Davis and
Eddy Curry to get into a small fight with Wizards
center Brendan Haywood. Hughes, Haywood, Curry and Davis were all suspended at least one game by the NBA. The Bulls later met the Wizards in the
first round of the playoffs and the possible start of a rivalry was born. Though he began his second year as the team's starting point guard, he was moved to the shooting guard spot nine games into the season due to the team's 0–9 start.
Ben Gordon was moved to the bench, as the Bulls'
sixth man. The player who took over the starting point guard spot was rookie
Chris Duhon. After this move was made, the Bulls started to gain team chemistry and the starting line-up was geared more towards defense, with Gordon coming off the bench to spark the team's scoring. The Bulls then made a run throughout the rest of the season to finish 47–35, becoming the first team ever to start off 0–9 and reach the playoffs, where they earned the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. After winning the first two games of their series with the Washington Wizards, they lost the next four, including a last-second loss at home in game 5, and were eliminated. During the off-season the Bulls exercised the fourth-year option on Hinrich's contract, making him signed through the 2006–07 season. Hinrich improved in virtually every statistical category in 2004–05, including scoring (15.8 ppg), shooting (just under 40 percent from the field), rebounding (3.9 rpg) and defense (122 steals).
2005–06 season In his third year in the NBA, Hinrich's field-goal percentage went up to 41%, although his three-point shooting accuracy fell to 35%. His career free throw shooting average is 80.5%, making him one of the better free throw shooters on the Bulls. The team traded away
Antonio Davis and
Eddy Curry in the off-season and the team struggled until making a late-season run to gain the seventh seed in the playoffs where they faced the eventual champs, the
Miami Heat, in the first round. It was in the third game of the series that the Heat's
James Posey shoulder tackled Hinrich, as he ran the
fastbreak. Hinrich ended the
2005–06 season averaging a career high 15.9
ppg, a team-high 6.4 apg, and 3.6 rpg, while shooting a career high 41.8% from the field and a then career high 81.5% from the free throw line. He was the only member of the Chicago Bulls to average more than one steal per game in the 2005–06 campaign. Hinrich received a multi-year contract extension on October 31, 2006, which was the deadline for the deal. (Otherwise Hinrich would have become a
restricted free agent). Bulls GM
John Paxson was quoted as saying,
2006–07 season Hinrich improved his stats in shooting and scoring during the 2006–07 season, his fourth in the NBA, with career highs in field goal, 3-point field goal, and free throw shooting percentage, as well as a career high 16.6 ppg. However, Hinrich's assists average was the lowest of his career and he also grabbed the fewest rebounds per game of his career. In a game against the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade injured his wrist while being defended by Hinrich. Heat coach
Pat Riley suggested that Hinrich injured Dwyane Wade's wrist on purpose. Hinrich was then played a recording of what Riley said; his response was candid, as he responded by saying When Hinrich's teammate Ben Gordon heard Riley's comments, he came to his defense stating "I heard him saying something about Kirk. Posey's was way more blatant. I don't think Kirk did anything. He was just playing aggressive defense. Kirk didn't do anything dirty. I don't appreciate him taking shots at our guys."
Sports Illustrated columnist Chris Mannix called Riley's comments "on the border of hypocrisy" while maintaining that Hinrich's grab of Wade's wrist, while illegal, was not a dirty play. "For starters, the play itself hardly qualifies as dirty. That was not the word Riley chose, but it was certainly what he insinuated. Illegal, yes. But dirty?" "Hinrich had no intention of hurting Wade. He didn't grab his wrist and twist it. He didn't chop down on it with his other hand." He went on to describe plays like that commonplace in the NBA, while calling Posey's foul on Hinrich during the 2006 playoffs dirty. "Dirty was the cheap shot that James Posey delivered to Hinrich when he leveled the guard with a body check during last season's playoffs." Riley later had a different view on his comments; the next time the Bulls and Heat played Riley was questioned about the comments he made by a reporter. During the Bulls' first game of the 2007 playoffs against the Miami Heat, Hinrich threw his mouthpiece into the stands after being assessed a charging foul. Hinrich received a technical foul for his actions as well as a $25,000 fine. Technically Hinrich should have been ejected from the game but he was allowed to stay in. Bulls coach
Scott Skiles was quoted as saying "What Kirk did the other (day), that's supposed to be an automatic ejection. They didn't see it. Hopefully, nothing like that happens again." The Bulls went on to sweep the Heat, before being eliminated in 6 games by the
Detroit Pistons. Hinrich was named to the NBA's All Defensive second team in the
06–07 season. Hinrich received 7 first team votes and 4 second team votes, for a total of 18 points. Hinrich joined teammate
Ben Wallace on the 06–07 All Defensive second team.
2007–08 season In the season, Hinrich's numbers dropped across the board, averaging then-career lows in points (11.5), assists (6.0), rebounds (3.3), and minutes played (31.7). He only appeared in 75 games and started 72 of them due to minor injuries. The Bulls missed the playoffs in the 2007–08 season finishing with a dismal 33–49 season. Hinrich scored a career-high 38 points in a win over the
Indiana Pacers on January 23, 2008.
2008–09 season Due to the arrival of number one pick
Derrick Rose, Hinrich was relegated to a backup role at the point guard position for the 2008–2009 season. Injuries also held him to just 51 games played on the season, with only 4 starts. During the 2009 NBA Playoffs Hinrich averaged 30.0 minutes per game, 2.9 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game and 12.6 points per game. The Bulls lost to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs in a thrilling seven-game series.
2009–10 season On February 20, 2010, in a game against the
Philadelphia 76ers, Hinrich became the Bulls' all-time leader in three-point field goals, surpassing
Ben Gordon's record of 770. On April 13, 2010, Hinrich produced a season high 30 points in a 101–93 win over the Boston Celtics. Hinrich finished the season averaging 10.9 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game as the Bulls made the final 8th seed spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. In the playoffs, Hinrich averaged 12.4 points and 4 assists per game, but the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.
Washington Wizards (2010–2011) On July 8, 2010, Hinrich was traded to the
Washington Wizards along with draft rights to forward
Kevin Seraphin in exchange for draft rights to
Vladimir Veremeenko. Hinrich began to wear glasses during gameplay during his tenure with the Wizards after learning from Wizards optometrist Keith Smithson that he could lose sight in his left eye if he was hit. In his short tenure with the Wizards, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game.
Atlanta Hawks (2011–2012) On February 23, 2011, Hinrich was traded to the
Atlanta Hawks along with
Hilton Armstrong in exchange for
Mike Bibby,
Jordan Crawford,
Maurice Evans and a first-round pick in the
2011 NBA draft. At the end of the 2010–11 season, the Hawks made the playoffs as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. In Game 6 of the first round against the
Orlando Magic, Hinrich injured his hamstring and subsequently missed the entire second round of the playoffs in which the Hawks ended up losing to Hinrich's former team, the Chicago Bulls. Hinrich missed the first eighteen games of the
2011–12 NBA season after undergoing left shoulder surgery. During the season, Hinrich averaged career lows in points per game at 6.6, assists per game at 2.8, and minutes per game at 25.8.
Return to Chicago (2012–2016) On July 23, 2012, Hinrich signed a two-year contract to return to the Chicago Bulls. In the absence of point guard
Derrick Rose, Kirk began the 2012–13 season as the Bulls' starting
point guard. Hinrich struggled with various injuries throughout the campaign, including an elbow infection and a stress reaction in his foot, shooting just 38% from the field. He finished the year averaging 7.7 points, 5.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 29 minutes per game. On April 27, 2013, Hinrich played an excellent game in Game 4 of Round 1 of the
2013 NBA Playoffs vs. the Nets, scoring 18 points and dishing out 14 assists in 60 minutes of the action as the Bulls defeated the Nets 142–134 in triple overtime to give the Bulls a 3–1 series lead. However, Hinrich missed the rest of the postseason after rupturing his calf in the second quarter of that game. The Bulls were eliminated in the second round by the
Miami Heat. Hinrich started the 2013–14 season as a bench player backing up
Derrick Rose, but when Rose suffered a torn meniscus ending his season just 10 games in, Hinrich again became the starter. While he struggled to start the year, shooting just 36.4% from the field and 28% on 3 pointers, he improved immensely following the All-Star Break, shooting 42.8% from the field and 43.7% from 3 for the remainder of the season. He also enjoyed a much healthier regular season campaign, with his 73 games played being his most since the 2009–10 season. His 9.1 points per game average was also his highest since the 2010–11 season. On July 21, 2014, Hinrich re-signed with the Bulls to a reported two-year, $5.6 million contract. On June 29, 2015, Hinrich exercised his player option with the Bulls for the 2015–16 season.
Return to Atlanta (2016) On February 18, 2016, Hinrich was traded to the
Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade involving the Bulls and the
Utah Jazz. Hinrich's final NBA game was Game 2 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 4, 2016. In that game, the Hawks would lose 98 – 123 to the
Cleveland Cavaliers with Hinrich recording 3 points and 2 rebounds. ==International career==