Reporter staff

Rodney Stuckey, a former Kentwood High School star basketball player, signed a three-year contract with the Indiana Pacers for $21 million.

Stuckey, 29, played his first season last year with the Pacers under a one-year contract after playing seven seasons with the Detroit Pistons who drafted him in the first round in 2007 out of Eastern Washington University in Cheney.

The Pacers announced the signing of Stuckey on Monday.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged 12.6 points last season. He hit a career-high 44 percent from the field and 39 percent on 3-point attempts. He started 36 games but mainly played the sixth-man role.

“I got to give credit to Larry (Bird),” Stuckey’s agent Paolo Zamorano said about the team’s president of basketball operations, according to the Indianapolis Star. “They wanted him back.”

At least four other teams made offers to Stuckey, Zamorano said. Several reports indicated three of those teams were Washington, Cleveland and Houston.

“Rodney is a very talented player who can create and score in a variety of ways,” said Bird, according to NBA.com. “We’re very happy to get a player with his experience and who has made it very clear of his desire to win.”

Stuckey made a veteran’s minimum salary last year (exact figure unavailable), which is based on the number of years a player has been in the NBA. Players with 10 years experience last year made $1.4 million. The minimum salary is $507,000.

Stuckey helped lead Kentwood to the Class 4A state high school basketball title in 2004.