Robert Ridjell Upshaw (born January 5, 1994) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who last played for

Tainan TSG GhostHawks The Tainan TSG GhostHawks ( zh, 臺南台鋼獵鷹) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Tainan City, Taiwan. They have competed in the T1 League since the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at the Chia Nan University of ...

of the

T1 League The T1 League is a Taiwanese men's professional basketball league founded in 2021. It is the third professional basketball league in Taiwan after the Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA) and the P. League+ (PLG). In the 2022–23 season, the T ...

. He played college basketball for

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

College career

Upshaw played high school basketball for San Joaquin Memorial High School in his hometown of

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. A top 100 recruit, he originally committed to play college basketball for

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

, but was released from his commitment when Wildcats head coach Frank Martin left for another job. He then chose local Fresno State, where as a freshman in the 2012–13 season he averaged 4.1 points, 3.8

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 1.8 blocks per game. In the summer after his freshman season, Upshaw was dismissed from the Bulldogs for violations of team rules. The 7'0"

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

then transferred to Washington. After sitting out the 2013–14 season per

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

transfer rules, he played 19 games for the Huskies, averaging 10.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. On January 26, 2015, Upshaw was dismissed from the Washington program, again for violations of team rules. He was leading the country in blocked shots per game at the time of his dismissal and had led the Huskies in rebounding.

Professional career

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2015–2016)

Upshaw declared his eligibility for the 2015 NBA draft rather than transfer to another college program. At the

NBA Draft combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shootin ...

, Upshaw measured as one of the tallest players in attendance (an even seven feet tall in shoes) with the longest standing reach and wingspan. He was projected as a late first-round or early second-round selection, but went undrafted, likely due to his personal issues. In July 2015, he joined the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

for the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League a ...

, where he averaged a mere 1.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Upshaw felt there was more in him than his Summer League showing, and after dropping 20 pounds, he signed with the Lakers for training camp on September 14, 2015. He was later waived by the Lakers on October 20 after appearing in four preseason games. On October 31, 2015, he was acquired by the

Los Angeles D-Fenders LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

as an affiliate player of the Lakers. Upshaw received consistent minutes for the D-Fenders throughout the season before losing his spot in the rotation in late February 2016. On March 11, 2016, his contract was terminated by the D-League for violating the league's anti-drug program. In 28 games (two starts) for the D-Fenders in 2015–16, he averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 15.6 minutes per game.

BC Kalev/Cramo (2016)

On September 1, 2016, Upshaw signed with

BC Kalev/Cramo BC Kalev, known as BC Kalev/Cramo for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Tallinn, Estonia. The team plays in the Korvpalli Meistriliiga, the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the FIBA Europe Cup. They play their ...

of the Estonian League. He appeared in five games for Kalev/Cramo during October before leaving the team in November due to a knee injury.

Mayrouba Club and Chemidor Tehran (2016–2017)

After leaving Kalev/Cramo, Upshaw joined Mayrouba Club of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the leagu ...

in late November 2016. He made his debut for Mayrouba in their 2016–17 season opener on December 2. In 18 games for Mayrouba, he averaged 19.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists 3.6 blocks per game. In April 2017, he joined Iranian team Chemidor Tehran for a three-game stint.

Guaros de Lara (2017)

In September 2017, Upshaw signed with

Guaros de Lara Guaros de Lara is a Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass a ...

of the Venezuelan

Liga Profesional de Baloncesto The Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto, commonly known as the SPB, is the Venezuelan first division national professional basketball league. Founded in 1974 as the Liga Especial de Baloncesto, it adopted the name Liga Profesional de Baloncesto i ...

for the

FIBA Intercontinental Cup The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, also commonly referred to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs, or the FIBA Club World Cup, is a professional basketball clubs competition that is endorsed by FIBA and the NBA. Historically, its purpose has be ...

Champville (2017–2018)

On October 4, 2017, Upshaw signed with Champville of the

. He left the team in February 2018. In 17 games, he averaged 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.

Yakima SunKings (2018)

In March 2018, Upshaw joined the Yakima SunKings of the

North American Premier Basketball The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022. The Bas ...

. He helped the SunKings win the championship. In five games, he averaged 11.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game.

Arka Gdynia (2018–2019)

In August 2018, Upshaw signed with

Arka Gdynia Morski Związkowy Klub Sportowy Arka Gdynia () is a Polish professional football club, based in Gdynia, Poland, that plays in the Polish I liga. The club was founded as Klub Sportowy Gdynia in 1929. History The history of Arka dates back to ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League) is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. It constitutes the first and highest-tier level of the Polish basketball leag ...

and the EuroCup.

Arel Üniversitesi Büyükçekmece (2019–2020)

On July 19, 2019, Upshaw signed with Arel Üniversitesi Büyükçekmece of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League ( tr, Basketbol Süper Ligi; BSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replac ...

Fuenlabrada (2020)

On July 2, 2020, Upshaw signed with

Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,586, making it the region's fourth most populated municipality. Placename The etymology of ''Fuenlabrada'' comes from the contra ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

. In three games, he averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Al-Ahli and Buyuksehir Hastanesi Konyaspor (2020–2021)

On November 19, 2020, Upshaw signed with Al-Ahli of the

Bahraini Premier League The Bahraini Premier League is the main football competition in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Currently known as the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League, the first season was held in 1957. The winners of the domestic championship qualify for the AFC Cup ...

. In 10 games, he averaged 25.6 points, 15.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. In March 2021, he joined Buyuksehir Hastanesi Konyaspor of the

Turkish Basketball First League The Turkish Basketball First League, also called TBL, is the second-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey. The league was previously known as Turkish Basketball Second League (TB2L). Format and promotion and relegation The ...

. In 12 games, he averaged 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

BC Tsmoki-Minsk (2021)

On August 23, 2021, Upshaw signed with BC Tsmoki-Minsk of the Belarus Premier League and the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...

. He left the team in November 2021.

Tainan TSG GhostHawks (2022–present)

On November 10, 2022, Upshaw signed with

of the

References

External links

NBA D-League profileTBLStat.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upshaw, Robert 1994 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Belarus American expatriate basketball people in Estonia American expatriate basketball people in Iran American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's basketball players Asseco Gdynia players Baloncesto Fuenlabrada players Basketball players from California BC Kalev/Cramo players BC Tsmoki-Minsk players Büyükçekmece Basketbol players Centers (basketball) Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball players Guaros de Lara (basketball) players Liga ACB players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Sportspeople from Fresno, California Washington Huskies men's basketball players Tainan TSG GhostHawks players T1 League imports T1 League All-Stars