Frederick Clark Roberts (born August 14, 1960) is an American former
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who played
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA) for 13 seasons, a career spanning from 1983 to 1997, becoming a successful
journeymen
A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...
in the league. He also played in
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Found ...
of the
Liga ACB.
College career
Roberts played four years of
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
(BYU) in Utah, from 1978 to 1982. He played in 119 total games, averaged 15.5 points and seven rebounds and shot 54.6% from the field. His playing ability along with
Danny Ainge
Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
A three-s ...
and
Greg Kite led to the success of the BYU program during this time. Roberts also played on the USA Junior World Championship Team in 1979, playing alongside greats such as
James Worthy
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...
and leading the US to an undefeated 8-0 record.
College Statistics
, -
, align="left" ,
1978–79
, align="left" ,
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
, 28 , , - , , 30.8 , , .543 , , - , , .783 , , 6.8 , , 2.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 14.3
, -
, align="left" ,
1979–80
, align="left" ,
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
, 29 , , - , , 30.7 , , .588 , , - , , .724 , , 6.1 , , 2.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 12.9
, -
, align="left" ,
1980-81
, align="left" ,
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
, 32 , , - , , 37.1 , , .579 , , - , , .777 , , 8.0 , , 3.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 18.8
, -
, align="left" ,
1981–82
, align="left" ,
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
, 30 , , - , , 37.3 , , .479 , , - , , .798 , , 7.2 , , 3.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 15.5
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 119 , , - , , 34.1 , , .546 , , - , , .776 , , 7.0 , , 2.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 15.5
Professional career
He was drafted by the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
in the second round of the
1982 NBA draft, but opted to play basketball for a year in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
, Italy. While overseas, Roberts was traded to the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
on November 12, 1982 for
Phil Ford and a second-round draft choice,
and from there was traded to the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
on June 7, 1983 with other players in exchange for coach
Stan Albeck
Charles Stanley Albeck (May 17, 1931 – March 25, 2021) was an American professional basketball coach. Albeck coached for several teams in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA), including the Denver ...
.
Afterwards, he played his first full NBA season with the Spurs.
He played just over a season with San Antonio before being traded to the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
for two second-round draft picks. In September 1986, the
Boston Celtics offered him a two-year deal worth $315,000, which the Jazz matched. Almost immediately after matching the offer, the Jazz traded him to Boston for a future draft pick. He played two seasons for the Celtics, appearing in the
1987 NBA Finals
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1986–87 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference ...
, before being chosen by the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
in the
1988 NBA expansion draft.
However, Roberts was traded to the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
before ever playing a game for the Heat. He played for the Bucks for five seasons, where he had his best years as a professional, reaching the 10 points per game mark and playing more minutes than he ever had in his career. The highlight of his time in Milwaukee came in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals in 1989, in which Roberts replaced injured forward
Terry Cummings
Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings (born March 15, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a ...
and scored a career-high 33 points in a 96-94 loss to the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
. The performance was especially impressive considering it came against
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best reboundin ...
, one of the best defenders in the league. The tough, defense-minded Pistons would eventually win the NBA championship later that season. Roberts was released by the Bucks when his contract expired after the
1992-93 NBA season.
After not renewing with the Bucks in 1993, he signed with
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Found ...
of the Spanish
Liga ACB, where in his only season he managed to win the
Spanish Cup
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
, defeating Taugrés Baskonia in the final. For the season he averaged 14.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
After his second stint in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, he played for the
Chicago Rockers
The Chicago Rockers were a men's professional basketball team based in Chicago from 1994 to 1996. The Rockers competed in the American Conference of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The team was owned by Chris Devine, a Chicago busi ...
of the
Continental Basketball Association. He then signed a 10-day contract with the
Cleveland Cavaliers, and was immediately put to work due to starting power forward
Tyrone Hill
Tyrone Hill (born March 19, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks. Hill spent four years playing collegiately at Xavier University, in his la ...
going down with an ankle injury. Once Hill returned though, Roberts stopped seeing playing time, but considered his stint with the Cavs as a stepping stone.
He then signed with the
Los Angeles Lakers for the
1995-96 season, playing only 33 games. Coinciding with
Magic Johnson's "comeback" year, Roberts became the only player in NBA history to be a teammate of both Johnson and
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
. The following year, he signed a one-year contract with the
Dallas Mavericks, but was released almost immediately after
Don Nelson became General Manager.
NBA Career Statistics
Regular Season
, -
, align="left" ,
1983–84
, align="left" ,
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, 79 , , 8 , , 19.4 , , .536 , , .250 , , .837 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 7.3
, -
, align="left" ,
1984–85
, align="left" ,
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, 22 , , 0 , , 13.9 , , .449 , , .000 , , .763 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 5.3
, -
, align="left" ,
1984–85
, align="left" ,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, 52 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .513 , , 1.000 , , .840 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 8.7
, -
, align="left" ,
1985–86
, align="left" ,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, 58 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .443 , , .500 , , .770 , , 1.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 3.7
, -
, align="left" ,
1986–87
, align="left" ,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, 73 , , 11 , , 14.8 , , .515 , , .000 , , .810 , , 2.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 5.5
, -
, align="left" ,
1987–88
, align="left" ,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, 74 , , 14 , , 13.9 , , .488 , , .000 , , .776 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 6.1
, -
, align="left" ,
1988–89
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, 71 , , 3 , , 17.6 , , .486 , , .214 , , .806 , , 2.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 5.9
, -
, align="left" ,
1989–90
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 66 , , 27.3 , , .495 , , .182 , , .783 , , 3.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 10.5
, -
, align="left" ,
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 82 , , 25.8 , , .533 , , .160 , , .813 , , 3.4 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 10.8
, -
, align="left" ,
1991–92
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, 80 , , 63 , , 21.8 , , .482 , , .514 , , .749 , , 3.2 , , 1.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 9.6
, -
, align="left" ,
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, 79 , , 5 , , 18.8 , , .528 , , .414 , , .799 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 7.6
, -
, align="left" ,
1994–95
, align="left" ,
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, 21 , , 0 , , 10.6 , , .389 , , .364 , , .769 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 3.8
, -
, align="left" ,
1995–96
, align="left" ,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, 33 , , 1 , , 9.6 , , .495 , , .286 , , .786 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 3.7
, -
, align="left" ,
1996–97
, align="left" ,
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, 12 , , 0 , , 3.3 , , .400 , , .000 , , .714 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 1.8
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 818 , , 253 , , 18.0 , , .502 , , .325 , , .796 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 7.3
Playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
1984–85
, align="left" ,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, 10 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .442 , , .000 , , .800 , , 1.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 5.4
, -
, align="left" ,
1985–86
, align="left" ,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, 4 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .467 , , .000 , , .889 , , 1.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 5.5
, -
, align="left" ,
1986–87
, align="left" ,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, 20 , , 4 , , 13.3 , , .508 , , .000 , , .705 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 4.6
, -
, align="left" ,
1987–88
, align="left" ,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, 15 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , .524 , , .000 , , .636 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.9
, -
, align="left" ,
1988–89
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, 9 , , 5 , , 38.3 , , .490 , , .000 , , .850 , , 4.3 , , 2.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 14.7
, -
, align="left" ,
1989–90
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, 4 , , 4 , , 19.8 , , .650 , , .000 , , .813 , , 2.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 9.8
, -
, align="left" ,
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 34.3 , , .457 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 5.0 , , 2.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 11.3
, -
, align="left" ,
1994–95
, align="left" ,
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, 1 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .750 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.0
, -
, align="left" ,
1995–96
, align="left" ,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 67 , , 16 , , 15.9 , , .495 , , .000 , , .771 , , 2.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 6.1
Later work
After his basketball career, Roberts became an educator in Utah. He worked as a principal for five years, then began teaching sixth grade in 2007.
Former Utah Jazz star Fred Roberts keeps points up in the classroom
/ref>
References
External links
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20121111010431/http://www.nba.com/bucks/media/media_guide_1011.pdf Milwaukee Bucks Media Guide 2010-11*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Fred
1960 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American men's basketball players
American school administrators
Basketball players from Utah
Boston Celtics players
BYU Cougars men's basketball players
Centers (basketball)
Chicago Rockers players
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Dallas Mavericks players
FC Barcelona Bàsquet players
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players
Liga ACB players
Los Angeles Lakers players
Miami Heat expansion draft picks
Milwaukee Bucks draft picks
Milwaukee Bucks players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Power forwards (basketball)
San Antonio Spurs players
Sportspeople from Provo, Utah
Utah Jazz players