Roy Tarpley - Pro Career

Pro Career

Tarpley starred at the University of Michigan, and was named a 3rd-Team All-American by the AP in both 1985 and 1986. In 1986 he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the seventh pick of the NBA Draft. Tarpley made the NBA All-Rookie Team in his first season and seemed destined for success.

However, six games into the 1989-90 season, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest, and suspended by the NBA. In March 1991, he drew another suspension after being arrested for DWI again. A few months later, he notched a third violation and was banned from the league for violating the NBA's drug-use policies. He returned to the Mavericks briefly in 1994, but he was then permanently banned from the NBA in December 1995 for using alcohol and violating the terms of a court-imposed personal aftercare program.

Another problem Tarpley had was that he was very injury prone, missing a lot of games due to nagging injuries. He holds NBA career averages of 12.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He also played for Aris BC, Olympiacos BC and Iraklis BC in Greece's top professional basketball league the A1 Ethniki Championship. In 1993 he won the Saporta Cup with Aris BC and reached the Euroleague final the following year while playing with Olympiacos BC. That same year he led the Euroleague competition in rebounds with an average of 12.8 per game.

In 2006, he played with the Michigan Mayhem of the Continental Basketball Association.

He sued the Mavericks and the NBA, claiming that their refusal to reinstate him violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because his addiction was a disability. The suit was settled out of court in March 2009.