Robert Traylor

Robert Traylor
Player information
Full name	Robert DeShaun Traylor
birthday	17th February 1977
place of birth	Detroit, United States
date of death	May 11, 2011
Place of death	Carolina, Puerto Rico
size	203 cm
position	Power forward
college	Michigan
NBA draft	1998 , 6th pick, Dallas Mavericks
league	NBA
Clubs as active
1995–1998 Michigan Wolverines ( NCAA ) 1998–2000 Milwaukee Bucks 2000–2001 Cleveland Cavaliers 2001–2004 Charlotte / New Orleans Hornets 2004–2005 Cleveland Cavaliers 2007 Gestibérica Vigo 2007–2008 Cangrejeros de Santurce 2008–2009 Antalya Kepez Belediyesi 2010 Vaqueros de Bayamón 2010-2011 Halcones UV Xalapa 00 00 00 00

Robert DeShaun Traylor (born February 17, 1977 in Detroit , Michigan , † May 11, 2011 in Carolina , Puerto Rico ) was an American basketball player .

Career

Robert Traylor made a name for himself as early as 1995 when he joined future NBA superstars such as Vince Carter , Kevin Garnett , Paul Pierce , Chauncey Billups , Antawn Jamison and Stephon Marbury on the 'McDonald's All-American Team' of the 22 most talented high school USA basketball player.

After Traylor had played three years for the college team of the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA , he signed up for the draft of the professional league NBA in 1998 . In the 1998 NBA draft , the 'Tractor', as it was called because of its size and beefy play, was selected sixth by the Dallas Mavericks . On the same day, the Mavericks sent Traylor to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for the German junior player Dirk Nowitzki and Pat Garrity, who was drafted ninth at the time .

In contrast to Nowitzki's career, Traylor's career was inconspicuous. He mostly came from the bank and was never able to meet the expectations placed on him. After embezzling property for his drug trafficking cousin, he was given a three-year suspended sentence for violating tax laws. In the summer of 2005, Traylor had to undergo surgery on the aorta . He then signed a contract with the New Jersey Nets . However, this contract was terminated due to the physical condition of Traylor. Traylor struggled with obesity for years and his fitness was considered questionable after a medical exam. With the dissolution of the contract, Traylor's NBA career also ended.

In early 2007 he made a comeback with the Basquets from Vigo in the third-class Spanish LEB Plata, but could not prevent the relegation of the 2010 dissolved club in the few games until the end of the season. After a season in Puerto Rico he returned to Europe and played in the highest Turkish league TBL . In November 2009 he signed a contract with the Sebastiani Baskets from Naples in Italian Lega Basket Serie A , but did not complete a game for this club. In 2010 he returned to the BSN in Puerto Rico and played for the Vaqueros de Bayamón before completing a season in the Mexican LNBP .

death

At the beginning of May 2011, Robert Traylor died in Puerto Rico, where he was still employed as a basketball player until the end, presumably of cardiac arrest . He was telephoning his wife in the USA via the Internet when the line suddenly broke off. On May 11, 2011, his wife informed the team management of his club. Traylor was found dead the same day by a handyman who entered Traylor's mansion himself.

Web links

• Robert Traylor - player profile on NBA.com
• Robert Traylor (2008-2009 Regular Season) - Statistics on tblstat.net (English)
• TRAYLOR, ROBERT DESHAWN - Statistics on the website of the Federación Española de Baloncesto (feb.es) (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Former Hornet 'Tractor' Traylor gets three years of probation. ESPN , September 28, 2007, accessed October 8, 2011 . 
2. ↑ Legabasket: Robert Traylor. Legabasket.it, accessed on May 15, 2011 (Italian, player profile).