A hulking 7-footer, Stanley Roberts has the size and skills to be an impact center in the NBA, but after showing promise in one season with Orlando and one with the Clippers, a weight problem and injuries hampered his effectiveness through the next four years. He played in 74 games for Minnesota in 1997-98, nearly matching his total for his four previous seasons combined, but managed just six appearances for the Houston Rockets in 1998-99.
Roberts attended Louisiana State but was ineligible to play during his freshman year. In his sophomore season he shared the court with teammate Shaquille O'Neal and averaged 14.1 points and 9.8 rebounds. He left college and played the 1990-91 season with Real Madrid in Spain, where he led the team to the European Final Four. He then renounced his remaining college eligibility and was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 23rd overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.
Roberts missed 20 games because of injuries in his rookie campaign but performed well enough to earn a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. After Orlando won the NBA Draft Lottery in 1992, giving the Magic first crack at O'Neal, Roberts became expendable and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a three-team deal.
Playing for the Clippers in 1992-93, Roberts led the league in personal fouls and disqualifications while averaging 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds, both career highs.
The 290-pounder ruptured his right Achilles tendon only 14 games into the following season and was lost for the remainder of the year. A similar injury to his left Achilles tendon kept him out for all of 1994-95. He came back to play in 51 games in 1995-96, but missed 27 due to various foot and ankle injuries and sat out four as a DNP-CD. His scoring average of 7.0 ppg was the lowest of his pro career.
He played in only 18 games in 1996-97, missing most of the season due to a ruptured disk in his lower back.
Acquired by Minnesota on June 25, 1997 for center Stojko Vrankovic, Roberts played in 74 games and made 44 starts for the Timberwolves, averaging 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in just 17.9 minutes per game. Signed as a free agent by the Houston Rockets on February 5, 1999, he spent most of the 1998-99 season on the injured list because of a strained right hamstring, playing in only six games.
1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list with a lower back strain on 11/22
1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
On the injured list from 2/25 to 4/29 due to a strained right hamstring
1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Recorded 16 points (7-9 FG), 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots against the Indiana Pacers on 4/2
Posted 15 points and 7 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs on 3/18
Registered 15 points (7-9 FG) and 7 rebounds, in 17 minutes, in a 113-91 win over the Toronto Raptors on 3/6
Totaled 16 points (7-10 FG) and 10 rebounds against the Houston Rockets on 2/26
Recorded 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in a 113-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings on 2/22
Posted 12 points (5-6 FG), 6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in a 107-80 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 2/13
Scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 96-91 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on 1/9
Registered season-highs of 20 points (9-14 FG, 2-2 FT) and 8 rebounds against the New York Knicks on 12/11
1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Injuries continued to hamper Roberts' development, as he missed most of the 1996-97 season due to a ruptured disk in his lower back.
He played a total of 18 games, including the first 16 of the season. He had a season-high 21 points in an 82-78 win at Denver on Nov. 5 and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, with 19 points, in an 81-70 victory over Minnesota on Nov. 10.
He injured his back on Nov. 20 against San Antonio, played in six more games, sat out four games because of the injury and went on the injured list on Dec. 3. He was activated and played in two games in late January, but had just two points and three rebounds in 14 minutes, then sat out three games as a DNP-CD before going back on the injured list on Feb. 13. He sat out the remainder of the season.
He averaged 9.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in the 18 games in which he played. He was not on the Clippers' playoff roster.
1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
After missing all of 1994-95, Roberts played in 51 games for the Clippers in 1995-96, making seven starts. He averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game.
He missed 24 games because of a sprained left ankle suffered after he landed on the foot of Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon after making a jumper in a game at Houston on Nov. 28. He also missed three games because of a sore right heel and four as a DNP-CD.
Roberts scored a season-high 25 points on 12-for-19 from the field agaisnt Portland on April 8. He grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds at Minnesota on March 31.
1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Roberts, who was attempting to make a comeback after having missed most of the previous season with a ruptured right Achilles tendon, didn't even make it as far as the regular season in 1994-95-he ruptured his left Achilles tendon while playing in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on October 26. Two days later he underwent surgery to repair the damage and was lost for the year.
1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
Roberts started the first 14 games of the season for the Clippers, and then disaster struck. In a December 4 contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, he ruptured his right Achilles tendon and was lost for the year.
His loss was a blow to the Clippers, who were forced to insert second-year center Elmore Spencer into the starting lineup. Roberts, who seemed to be coming into his own in the league, blocked 6 shots against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 5 and totaled season highs of 13 points and 9 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons on November 11. In the 14 games he played he averaged 7.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.92 blocks.
1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
When the Magic won the 1992 NBA Draft Lottery and subsequently selected Shaquille O'Neal with the first overall pick, Orlando suddenly had the two beefiest centers in the league in O'Neal and Roberts-one-time college teammates at Louisiana State. The Magic no longer had a burning need for Roberts, who became a restricted free agent after the 1991-92 season and began to explore his options around the league.
The Dallas Mavericks showed great interest and signed the second-year center to a lucrative offer sheet. However, even though the Magic had O'Neal, they did not want to lose Roberts without compensation. So Orlando exercised its right of first refusal and signed Roberts to a new contract.
But trade winds began to blow as the Magic looked to deal Roberts to a team in need of a quality center. By September, Orlando had helped engineer a three-team trade that sent Roberts to the Los Angeles Clippers and brought two future first-round draft picks to the Magic-one from Los Angeles and one from the New York Knicks.
Roberts played in 77 games for the Clippers, starting all but 1, and set a team record in a very dubious category: his 332 personal fouls for the season ranked first in the NBA and marked the highest season total ever by a Clippers player. On the positive side, Roberts averaged 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.83 blocks, shooting .527 from the floor. He threw down a team-leading 150 dunks on the year, the third-highest total in the NBA.
He scored his 1,000th career point in a 22-point, 15-rebound performance against the Chicago Bulls on February 4, and he scored a career-high 27 points against the Seattle SuperSonics on April 22.
1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
Because he hadn't been drafted the previous season, Roberts was eligible for the 1991 NBA Draft, and the Orlando Magic snatched him in the first round (23rd pick overall).
Roberts started 34 of 55 games as a rookie, earning a berth on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with averages of 10.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He missed 27 games during the year, 20 because of injuries and 7 due to the coach's decision. Roberts scored in double figures in 24 of the final 28 games he played and averaged 15.2 points and 8.8 rebounds during that stretch. His best game came against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 26, when he totaled 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.
1990-1991 REGULAR SEASON
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was still known as Chris Jackson when he, Stanley Roberts, and Shaquille O'Neal were teammates at Louisiana State during Roberts's one season there in 1989-90. Roberts had 14 double-doubles in his brief 32-game college career, averaging 14.1 points and 9.8 rebounds. He left school after that season because of academic problems and played professionally for Real Madrid in the Spanish League in 1990-91.
Roberts averaged 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds as a 20-year-old professional, shooting .601 from the field. Real Madrid posted a 21-10 record and advanced to the finals of the Korak Cup European Tournament.
