Stanley Roberts

Stanley Roberts
Personal information
Born (1970-02-07) February 7, 1970 (age 54)
Hopkins, South Carolina, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight285 lb (129 kg)
Career information
High schoolLower Richland
(Hopkins, South Carolina)
CollegeLSU (1989–1990)
NBA draft1991: 1st round, 23rd overall pick
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Playing career1990–2004
PositionCenter
Number53
Career history
1990–1991Real Madrid
1991–1992Orlando Magic
19921997Los Angeles Clippers
1997–1998Minnesota Timberwolves
1998–1999Aris
1999Houston Rockets
1999Philadelphia 76ers
1999–2000Efes Pilsen
2000–2001San Diego Wildfire
2004Gallitos de Isabela
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points2,555 (8.5 ppg)
Rebounds1,549 (5.2 rpg)
Blocks385 (1.3 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Stanley Corvet Roberts (born February 7, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played center. He was said to have the potential to be the best center of all time.[1] He played college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU) before being drafted 23rd overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1991 NBA draft.

Early life

[edit]

Roberts attended Lower Richland High School in Hopkins, where he led his team to two straight state championships, was a Parade first-team All-American his senior year, and was considered a top-five player nationally, holding his own against Alonzo Mourning in the Dapper Dan and McDonald's All-Star Games.

College career

[edit]

Subsequently, he played collegiately at Louisiana State University, teaming up in his (Roberts') only season with Shaquille O'Neal, during O'Neal's first season at LSU. Roberts was forced to sit out his freshman season at LSU due to academic ineligibility and would only play one season before leaving LSU to join the professional ranks.

After his professional career ended Roberts returned to LSU to complete his degree.[2]

Professional career

[edit]

Real Madrid (1990-1991)

[edit]

Roberts started playing professionally in Spain, with Real Madrid,[3] sharing teams with another future National Basketball Association player, Venezuelan Carl Herrera. In his only season, he helped the Liga ACB club to the Korać Cup final, an overtime loss against Pallacanestro Cantù of Italy.

NBA (1991-1999)

[edit]

Roberts was selected by the Orlando Magic in the 1st round (23rd overall) of the 1991 NBA draft, and went on to appear, in a career marred by injuries and other drawbacks, for the Magic,[4] Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers in eight NBA seasons. Troubled by weight issues throughout his career,[5] his best year in the league came during his first season with the Clippers, when he appeared in 77 games and averaged 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, with 141 blocked shots.

Roberts missed all but 14 games in the 1993–94 season, then all of the next due to an Achilles tendon injury, first in one leg, then the other.[5] Amazingly, he still bounced back for three more respectable seasons.

ABA and international play (1999-2004)

[edit]

After an unassuming six-game spell with the Rockets, as a member of the 76ers in late 1999, Roberts was banned by the NBA for drug violations.[3][6] Before retiring, he played in Greece, Turkey, the ABA and Puerto Rico. In the 2003 off-season, the 33-year-old signed for the Toronto Raptors, being waived shortly after.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "His Own Worst Enemy When they were both 7-foot phenoms at LSU, Stanley Roberts schooled his buddy Shaquille O'Neal. Why, then, was Roberts such a bust in the NBA? And why does everybody still love him?". Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.com.
  2. ^ "Basketball Alumnus Stanley Roberts returns to LSU, graduates". lsu.edu. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Raptors sign troubled C Stanley Roberts; ESPN, 30 September 2003
  4. ^ Roberts' role for Magic grows as weight shrinks; The Baltimore Sun, 17 March 1992
  5. ^ a b Once again, Roberts is playing for scale; Los Angeles Times, 7 October 1994
  6. ^ The cautionary tale of Stanley Roberts; APBR, 10 March 2010
[edit]