Photo: Davidwbaker / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Roy Tarpley was born on November 28, 1964 in New York City, New York, United States. Roy Tarpley was a basketball player. Death is recorded on January 9, 2015, at the age of 50. Education on record includes Cooley High School and University of Michigan. Recorded honors include Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year (1985).
My Take
Tarpley is one of basketball's great what-ifs, and I find his story genuinely haunting. A 211 cm force out of New York, he won Big Ten Player of the Year and the NBA Sixth Man Award in 1988, flashing the kind of two-way dominance that hints at greatness. Then addiction took it all, a permanent ban in 1995, a journeyman stint across Europe, and an early death at 50. I don't write him off as a cautionary tale; I read it as a reminder of how little separates triumph from tragedy, and how the sport so rarely catches its falling stars in time.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Roy Tarpley
- Name (Japanese)
- ロイ・タープリー
- Reading
- ろい・たーぷりー
- Born
- November 28, 1964 – January 9, 2015
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dragon
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Height
- 211 cm
- Occupation
- basketball player
2. Background
- High school
- Cooley High School
- University
- University of Michigan
Awards & achievements
- 1985 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
3. Links
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy%20Tarpley
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2528518
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-23
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Roy Tarpley born?
Born November 28, 1964.
When did Roy Tarpley die?
Died January 9, 2015, aged 50.
Where was Roy Tarpley from?
Roy Tarpley was from New York City, New York, United States.
What did Roy Tarpley do?
Roy Tarpley worked as basketball player.
How tall was Roy Tarpley?
Roy Tarpley was 211 cm.
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