Roy Tarpley
A breathtakingly talented NBA big man whose career was tragically derailed by substance abuse, leading to a historic permanent ban.
1964–2015 (age 51)·American basketball player·Birthday: November 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Roy Tarpley's NBA story is one of sublime talent and profound loss. Drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, the 7-foot center-forward possessed a rare blend of size, agility, and touch, seeming destined for stardom. In 1988, he was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year, a force off the bench who could dominate the glass and score from anywhere. But his ascent collided with a personal battle against drug and alcohol addiction. Despite multiple attempts at rehabilitation and comebacks, violations of the league's substance abuse policy mounted. In 1995, the NBA issued him a permanent ban, a rare and devastating sanction. Tarpley continued his career overseas with success in Greece, but his legacy remains a haunting 'what if' in basketball history.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Roy was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Roy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Roy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
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
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2015Died at 51
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1988 with the Dallas Mavericks.
- Recorded 21 points and 20 rebounds in his first NBA playoff start as a rookie.
- Averaged a double-double (13.5 points, 11.8 rebounds) for his NBA career.
- Led the Greek League in rebounding during the 1996-97 season while playing for Olympiacos.
Did You Know?
He was the seventh overall pick in the star-studded 1986 NBA Draft, which included Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley.
His NBA ban was lifted in 2003, and he attempted a brief comeback with the Mavericks, but was waived before the season started.
In college at the University of Michigan, he set a single-season school record for rebounds, a mark that still stands.
“My talent was a gift, but I couldn't outrun my own choices.”
