A New Zealand U20 representative, Hinton played for the Otago Nuggets for four years followed by a couple of years playing for Waikato.
On leaving Kings High School, Dunedin, he combined playing for the Nuggets with reporting on their games for the Otago Daily Times in 1982 – the beginning of his almost forty-year journalism career.
Hinton then went on to work at the Rotorua Post before heading to London and a spell on Fleet Street as he crafted his work.
Hinton joined the Sunday Star-Times in 1995 and has been with the company ever since, establishing himself as the country’s top basketball writer and one of the most respected rugby writers of his generation.
With a diverse portfolio, Hinton has covered many Rugby and Basketball World Cups and Olympics.
For all that he has always retained a passion for basketball particularly covering Breakers, Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns games.
