Will Roberson's Basketball Journey With The Detroit Pistons

will roberson basketball detroit pistons

André Lee Roberson is an American professional basketball player. He was born on December 4, 1991, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes. Roberson was selected in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft with the 26th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves but was later acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder on draft night. He is best known for his defensive contributions and ranks third in the NBA in Defensive Real Plus-Minus, per ESPN.com. Roberson suffered a serious leg injury during a road game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in 2017.

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André Roberson's career earnings

André Lee Roberson, born on December 4, 1991, is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes and was selected in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft with the 26th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, he was later acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder on draft night.

Roberson's career in the NBA started with a bang, as he signed with the Thunder after an impressive Summer League performance. During his rookie season, he showcased his potential, recording his first career double-double (10 points and 12 rebounds) against the Golden State Warriors. He continued to improve, scoring a career-high 15 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2015-16 season.

In the 2016-17 season, Roberson moved to the starting small forward spot, and his performance excelled further. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team at the end of the season and subsequently re-signed with the Thunder to a three-year, $30 million contract. Unfortunately, he suffered a left patellar tendon rupture in January 2018, which kept him out of action for an extended period.

Roberson's career earnings are estimated to be at least $35,940,408, with his highest-earning year being 2020, where he made $10,740,741. His career averages stand at 4.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.

After a long road to recovery, Roberson made his NBA comeback in August 2020, playing his first game in more than two years. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets in February 2021 but was waived after two games. He then had a brief stint with the Nets on a 10-day contract before joining the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate, in 2023. Roberson's most recent signings have been with Cholet Basket of LNB Pro A and LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague.

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Roberson's college basketball career

André Lee Roberson, born on December 4, 1991, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is an American professional basketball player. He comes from a family of athletes, with both his parents being college All-Americans in their respective sports. Roberson attended Karen Wagner High School in San Antonio, Texas, and later played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes under coach Tad Boyle.

During his senior year of high school, Roberson averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 1.7 blocked shots per game. He was considered a three-star recruit by ESPN and was listed as the 62nd best power forward in the nation in 2010. Roberson chose to play for the University of Colorado, and in his three seasons there, he established himself as one of the country's top rebounders. He finished third in rebounds in the country in 2011-12 and improved to second in 2012-13. Roberson also led the Buffaloes to the NCAA Tournament in both those years.

As a junior in 2012-13, Roberson averaged 10.9 points and an impressive 11.2 rebounds per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and was also awarded the conference Defensive Player of the Year. Following this successful junior season, Roberson decided to enter the 2013 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility. He was selected 26th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves but was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on draft night. Roberson signed with the Thunder on July 12, beginning his NBA career.

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Roberson's NBA draft

André Lee Roberson is an American professional basketball player. He was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on December 4, 1991, and is 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm) tall. Both of Roberson's parents were All-Americans in their respective college sports, and he has six siblings.

Roberson played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes under coach Tad Boyle. In his three seasons at CU, Roberson was one of the country's top rebounders, finishing third in the country in 2011–12 and second in 2012–13. He led the Buffaloes to the NCAA Tournament both years. As a junior in 2012–13, Roberson averaged 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and the conference Defensive Player of the Year.

At the end of his junior season, Roberson declared his intention to enter the 2013 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility. He was selected with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, he was later acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder on draft night. On July 12, he signed with the Thunder after an impressive Summer League performance. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

Roberson re-joined the Thunder for the 2014 NBA Summer League. The Thunder exercised their third-year team option on Roberson's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season. Roberson earned the Thunder's starting shooting guard spot for the 2014–15 season. He recorded his first career double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) on December 18 against the Golden State Warriors. On October 23, 2015, the Thunder extended his contract through the 2016–17 season, and he retained the starting shooting guard spot. On December 23, he scored a then career-high 15 points in a 120–85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Roberson's knee injury

Andre Roberson, the former Minnesota Timberwolves draft pick, suffered a knee injury that kept him off the court for an extended period. Roberson, a 6'7" shooting guard and small forward, last played in 2021. He had not played since January 27, 2018, due to an injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Roberson was hopeful to return for the 2018-19 season, but a minor procedure in October 2018 delayed his comeback, and he suffered another setback a month later with a small avulsion fracture in his left knee.

Roberson's injury saga was described as a "'roller coaster' of emotions" by the player, who experienced numerous setbacks on his road to recovery. Despite the challenges, Roberson remained determined to return to the court. Prior to his injury, he was a staple starter for the Thunder for four seasons and was even generating buzz as a potential Defensive Player of the Year. His defensive prowess and versatility made him a valuable asset to the team.

Roberson's return to the court was a gradual process. In 2019, he expressed optimism about playing and stated he was "full go" before the start of training camp. However, he did not participate in the Thunder's first practice and continued to experience discomfort in his knee. This led him to take a step away from the team in December 2019 to focus on his rehab in Los Angeles.

After a grueling comeback journey, Roberson finally appeared on track to make his return. His teammates, Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari, expressed their joy at seeing Roberson's progress and the energy he brought to the team. However, it was unclear if Roberson would be able to regain his top-level defensive form, and his role in the Thunder's rotation was uncertain. Nevertheless, his size and length made him a versatile option for the team.

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Roberson's family

André Lee Roberson, born on December 4, 1991, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes under coach Tad Boyle. Roberson comes from a family of athletes; both his parents were All-Americans in their respective sports during their college years at New Mexico State. He has six siblings.

Roberson attended Karen Wagner High School on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, and Colorado. As a senior, he averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Roberson was considered a three-star recruit by ESPN.com and was listed as the No. 62 power forward in the nation in 2010.

During his three seasons at CU, Roberson was one of the country's top rebounders, finishing third in the country in 2011-12 and second in 2012-13. He led the Buffaloes to the NCAA Tournament both years. In his junior year in 2012-13, he averaged 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and the conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Roberson then decided to enter the 2013 NBA draft, where he was selected 26th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves but was later traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the same night. He signed with the Thunder after an impressive Summer League performance. Roberson played for the Thunder for several seasons, making the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2017. He suffered a serious patellar tendon injury in 2017 while playing against the Detroit Pistons, which required him to be stretchered off the court.

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