Roy Rogers (basketball)
A shot-blocking force from Alabama who carved out a global basketball journey from the NBA to European courts.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: August 19·Generation X
Biography
Roy Rogers's basketball path was defined by a specific, spectacular skill: rejecting shots into the stands. At the University of Alabama, the lanky forward became a defensive anchor, leading the SEC in blocks and turning himself into a first-round NBA draft pick. His professional playing career, however, was one of constant motion. He bounced through four NBA teams in four seasons, his elite shot-blocking—he once swatted 8 in a single game for Vancouver—never quite finding a permanent home in the league. This launched him into a decade-long voyage as a basketball mercenary across Europe, from Russia to Italy to Poland, where he evolved into a respected veteran and champion. That well-traveled experience became his foundation, leading him back to the NBA not as a player, but as a sought-after assistant coach known for developing big men, completing the journey from college star to global basketball citizen.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Roy was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Roy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Roy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected 22nd overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft.
- Led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in blocked shots during his final collegiate season at Alabama.
- Blocked 8 shots in a single NBA game for the Vancouver Grizzlies against the Seattle SuperSonics in 1997.
- Won an Italian League (Lega Basket Serie A) championship with Benetton Treviso in 2002.
- Built a lengthy career as an NBA assistant coach for teams including the Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Did You Know?
He shares his name with the famous American singing cowboy and actor.
He played alongside star guard Steve Nash during his brief time with the Dallas Mavericks (pre-season/training camp).
His son, Roy Rogers III, also played college basketball at Alabama.
He served as the head coach of the NBA G League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
“A blocked shot is a possession changed and a message sent.”
