Robert Whaley
Encyclopedia
Robert Antawon Whaley is an American
professional basketball
player at the center
position, formerly in the NBA
.
, but Benton Harbor came up just short of winning the championship. He attended Barton County Community College
for two years, then transferred to the University of Cincinnati
in 2003 and Walsh University
in 2004.
with 51st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft
out of Walsh, an NAIA
school. With the Jazz, Whaley played 23 games and played an average 9.2 minutes each game, also scoring on average 2.1 points, making 1.9 rebounds, and shooting 40.4% of attempted field goals. He scored a career-high 11 points on December 23, 2005 against the New York Knicks
and 7 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings
on November 15, 2005. After sporadic playing time during the 2005-06 season
, he suffered a season-ending cartilage-tear to his right knee.
On early Sunday morning, December 11, 2005, Whaley and Jazz teammate Deron Williams
were involved in a brawl with Denver Nuggets
fans at a bar in the resort town of Park City, Utah
. The fight began inside a bar when some Nuggets fans who recognised the two players and approached them and said they did not like the Jazz. The fight, which involved eight to 10 people, then spilled outside. Both provided false names to police officers investigating the incident, with Whaley giving his as "Bobby Williams". It was the same night that Whaley cut his hand on broken glass, a fact which he acknowledged, but denied it was from the fight. He later told Utah Jazz officials he cut it while confiscating a sharp kitchen knife away from his 2-year-old son. He later confessed he had made the story up, and subsequently as a result faced disciplinary action by the team for lying.
On June 8, 2006, Whaley and Jazz teammate Kris Humphries
were traded to the Toronto Raptors
for Rafael Araújo. He was waived by the Raptors on June 21.
In the summer of 2006, Whaley joined the Dominican Republic team Los Metros de Santiago then in the fall the Twin City Ballers
of the ABA
. He then played for Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC
of the Iranian Basketball Super League
.
Whaley played 22 games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders
, the NBA Development League
team of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers
, in the 2007-2008 season.
police reported that he was carrying the product in his buttocks. At a parking lot near an apartment complex known for gang crime, police investigated a parked, occupied vehicle with its lights off. Whaley, not wearing a seat belt, identified himself to gang detectives as Kareem Johnson, but the detectives recognized him as a former Utah Jazz player. As Michigan listed Whaley as a parole violator on January 2009, Utah extradited Whaley to Michigan on July 5, 2010. On September 27, 2010, Whaley returned to the Berrien County, Michigan
jail to begin serving a two-year sentence for probation violation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player at the center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
position, formerly in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
College
Whaley graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 2001 with great athletic honors. He was a leading contender for Mr. Basketball of MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, but Benton Harbor came up just short of winning the championship. He attended Barton County Community College
Barton County Community College
Barton Community College is a two-year junior college located in Great Bend, Kansas. Its service area includes Barton, Ellsworth, Pawnee, Rush and Russell Counties,Stafford County north of US Highway 50, and northwestern Rice County.Athletics:The school is more commonly known for it nationally...
for two years, then transferred to the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
in 2003 and Walsh University
Walsh University
Walsh University is a private non-profit, 4-year, Roman Catholic university in North Canton, Ohio, USA. It was founded in 1960 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction, initially as a liberal arts college. Walsh College became Walsh University in 1993. The University offers more than 50 majors,...
in 2004.
Professional career
He was selected by the Utah JazzUtah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
with 51st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft
2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...
out of Walsh, an NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
school. With the Jazz, Whaley played 23 games and played an average 9.2 minutes each game, also scoring on average 2.1 points, making 1.9 rebounds, and shooting 40.4% of attempted field goals. He scored a career-high 11 points on December 23, 2005 against the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and 7 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
on November 15, 2005. After sporadic playing time during the 2005-06 season
2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
, he suffered a season-ending cartilage-tear to his right knee.
On early Sunday morning, December 11, 2005, Whaley and Jazz teammate Deron Williams
Deron Williams
Deron Michael Williams , nicknamed D-Will, is an American basketball player currently with the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association . Williams has also played for the Utah Jazz of the NBA and Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League...
were involved in a brawl with Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
fans at a bar in the resort town of Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
. The fight began inside a bar when some Nuggets fans who recognised the two players and approached them and said they did not like the Jazz. The fight, which involved eight to 10 people, then spilled outside. Both provided false names to police officers investigating the incident, with Whaley giving his as "Bobby Williams". It was the same night that Whaley cut his hand on broken glass, a fact which he acknowledged, but denied it was from the fight. He later told Utah Jazz officials he cut it while confiscating a sharp kitchen knife away from his 2-year-old son. He later confessed he had made the story up, and subsequently as a result faced disciplinary action by the team for lying.
On June 8, 2006, Whaley and Jazz teammate Kris Humphries
Kris Humphries
Kris Nathan Humphries is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's New Jersey Nets. He became an unrestricted free agent in 2011.-Early life:...
were traded to the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
for Rafael Araújo. He was waived by the Raptors on June 21.
In the summer of 2006, Whaley joined the Dominican Republic team Los Metros de Santiago then in the fall the Twin City Ballers
Twin City Ballers
The Twin City Ballers were an American Basketball Association franchise scheduled that played in 2006 in Benton Harbor, Michigan....
of the ABA
American Basketball Association (2000–present)
The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
. He then played for Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC
Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC
Petrochimi Bandar Imam Basketball Club is an Iranian basketball club based in Mahshahr, Iran. They compete in the Iranian Basketball Super League.-Roster:-Notable former players:-External links:**...
of the Iranian Basketball Super League
Iranian Basketball Super League
The Iranian Basketball Super League is a professional basketball league in Iran founded in 1998.-2011–12 teams:*Azad University Tehran*Bank Saman Tehran*Foolad Mahan Isfahan*Hamyari Shahrdari Zanjan*Jahesh Tarabar Qom*Louleh a.s Shiraz*Mahram Tehran...
.
Whaley played 22 games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders
Los Angeles D-Fenders
The Los Angeles D-Fenders are a NBA Development League team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2006, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, which became the first National Basketball Association franchise to own a D-League team...
, the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
team of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, in the 2007-2008 season.
Post-NBA life
Serving probation for a 2008 conviction for running a drug house, Whaley was arrested for marijuana possession on March 11, 2010. Salt Lake County, UtahSalt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
police reported that he was carrying the product in his buttocks. At a parking lot near an apartment complex known for gang crime, police investigated a parked, occupied vehicle with its lights off. Whaley, not wearing a seat belt, identified himself to gang detectives as Kareem Johnson, but the detectives recognized him as a former Utah Jazz player. As Michigan listed Whaley as a parole violator on January 2009, Utah extradited Whaley to Michigan on July 5, 2010. On September 27, 2010, Whaley returned to the Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....
jail to begin serving a two-year sentence for probation violation.
External links
- Robert Whaley at NBA.com
- Cincinnati Bearcats biography