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 ...

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" ,

, 29 , , - , , 30.7 , , .588 , , - , , .724 , , 6.1 , , 2.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 12.9 , - , align="left" , 1980-81 , align="left" ,

, 32 , , - , , 37.1 , , .579 , , - , , .777 , , 8.0 , , 3.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 18.8 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

, 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

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

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" ,

, 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" ,

, 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" ,

, 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" ,

, 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" ,

, 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" ,

, 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" ,

, 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" ,

, 10 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .442 , , .000 , , .800 , , 1.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .467 , , .000 , , .889 , , 1.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 5.5 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 20 , , 4 , , 13.3 , , .508 , , .000 , , .705 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 15 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , .524 , , .000 , , .636 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 9 , , 5 , , 38.3 , , .490 , , .000 , , .850 , , 4.3 , , 2.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 14.7 , - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 19.8 , , .650 , , .000 , , .813 , , 2.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 34.3 , , .457 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 5.0 , , 2.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" ,

, 1 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .750 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" ,

, 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
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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