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Joe Roberts (basketball)

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Joe Roberts
Personal information
Born(1936-05-18)May 18, 1936
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
DiedOctober 10, 2022(2022-10-10) (aged 86)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight214 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High schoolEast (Columbus, Ohio)
CollegeOhio State (1957–1960)
NBA draft1960: 3rd round, 21st overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
Playing career1960–1968
PositionPower forward
Number12, 42
Career history
As player:
1960–1963Syracuse Nationals
1966–1967Columbus Comets
1967–1968Kentucky Colonels
As coach:
1974–1979Golden State Warriors (assistant)
1989–1990Los Angeles Clippers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As assistant coach:

Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points1,255 (5.8 ppg)
Rebounds1,075 (4.9 rpg)
Assists123 (0.6 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Joseph C. Roberts (May 18, 1936 – October 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one season in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He played for the Syracuse Nationals and Kentucky Colonels from 1960 to 1968, having earlier played for Ohio State University's 1960 NCAA champions. After retiring from playing, he served as assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.

Early life

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Roberts was born in Columbus, Ohio, on May 18, 1936.[1] He attended East High School in his hometown. He then studied biological studies and physical education at Ohio State University,[1][2] where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1957 to 1960.[3] He was a senior co-captain of the 1960 team – which included Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek, Mel Nowell, Bob Knight, and Gary Gearhart – that lost only three games en route to the 1960 NCAA title.[2][4] Roberts was selected in the third round of the 1960 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals.[1]

Playing career

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Roberts made his NBA debut on October 22, 1960,[1] scoring six points to go along with three rebounds against the Philadelphia Warriors.[5] He led the league in games played (80) the following year.[1] He ultimately played three seasons with the Nationals, during which time there was an unspoken rule that restricted teams to three African American players.[2] The franchise qualified for the NBA playoffs in each of those years, but lost to the Boston Celtics,[6] Warriors,[7] and Cincinnati Royals, respectively.[8]

Roberts returned to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio for the 1966–67 season as the player/manager for the Columbus Comets of the newly formed and short-lived North American Basketball League (NABL).[9] There, he played with former East High and Ohio State teammate Mel Nowell as well as former Ohio State alumni Dick Reasbeck, Gary Bradds, and Jim Doughty.[10] Roberts did return to play for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA for one season in 1967, the ABA's first year.[1]

Coaching career

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After his playing career ended, Roberts became an assistant coach for Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference, then Iowa in the Big Ten, before being an assistant for the NBA's Golden State Warriors and coach Al Attles for five years.[11] The Warriors, led by MVP Rick Barry, won the NBA championship in 1975. Roberts coached the Warriors to their fourth win in the NBA finals against the Washington Bullets after Attles was ejected from the game.[2][12]

Personal life and death

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Roberts was married to Celia for 65 years until his death. Together, they had three children.[2]

Roberts died on the morning of October 10, 2022, at his home in Oakland, California. He was 86, and suffered from cancer prior to his death.[2]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

NBA/ABA

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Source[1]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1960–61 Syracuse 68 11.8 .370 .596 3.6 .6 4.7
1961–62 Syracuse 80* 20.5 .393 .665 6.7 .6 7.7
1962–63 Syracuse 33 14.1 .372 .686 4.7 .5 5.5
1967–68 Kentucky (ABA) 37 15.2 .370 .333 .560 3.8 .4 3.7
Career (NBA) 181 16.1 .383 .648 5.2 .6 6.2
Career (overall) 218 15.9 .381 .333 .637 4.9 .6 5.8

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1961 Syracuse 5 4.0 .300 – .8 .0 1.2
1962 Syracuse 4 16.0 .364 .714 7.0 .0 6.5
1968 Kentucky (ABA) 5 12.6 .333 – .333 3.0 .2 2.4
Career (NBA) 9 9.3 .344 .714 3.6 .0 3.6
Career (overall) 14 10.5 .340 – .600 3.4 .1 3.1

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Joe Roberts Stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Arace, Michael (October 10, 2022). "Joe Roberts, starting power forward on Ohio State's 1960 NCAA championship team, dies at 86". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Joe Roberts College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  4. ^ "1959–60 Ohio State Buckeyes Roster and Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "October 22, 1960 Philadelphia Warriors at Syracuse Nationals Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. October 22, 1960. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  6. ^ "1961 NBA Eastern Division Finals – Nationals vs. Celtics". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  7. ^ "1962 NBA Eastern Division Semifinals – Nationals vs. Warriors". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "1963 NBA Eastern Division Semifinals – Royals vs. Nationals". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  9. ^ Arace, Michael (June 1, 2022). "Of halls of fame in general and Ohio State's Joe Roberts in particular". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  10. ^ Shepherd, Frank (January 28, 1968). "Sport Capers". Coshocton Tribune. p. 13. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "Joe Roberts: Coaching Record, Awards". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Kopbett, Leonard (May 26, 1975). "Warriors Capture Title on 4–0 Sweep". The New York Times. p. 11. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
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