Robert Antawon Whaley (born April 16, 1982) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player.

High school and college career

Whaley graduated from

Benton Harbor High School Benton Harbor High School is a high school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, and is part of Benton Harbor Area Schools. History The current high school opened on August 29, 1921, being dedicated the following September 15; the school's ...

in 2001. He was a leading contender for

Mr. Basketball of Michigan Each year the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best Secondary education, high school senior boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Michigan. The award is named in honor of the late Hal Schram, a sports wri ...

, but Benton Harbor came up just short of winning the championship. He attended

Barton County Community College Barton Community College, previously Barton County Community College, is a public community college in Great Bend, Kansas. Its service area includes Barton, Ellsworth, Pawnee, Rush and Russell Counties, Stafford County north of US Highway 5 ...

for two years, then transferred to the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

in 2003 and

Walsh University Walsh University is a Private university, private Catholic university in North Canton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1960 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction as a liberal arts college, it enrolls approximately 2,100 students as of 2023. ...

in 2004. He was the NAIA Division II Player of the Year in 2004–05 and led Walsh to its first NAIA National Championship. He averaged 19.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in 35 games as a senior. Walsh left the NAIA and joined the NCAA in 2011.

Professional career

Utah Jazz (2005–2006)

Whaley was selected by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

with 51st overall pick in the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

, becoming the most recent player drafted out of an NAIA school, as of 2018. As a rookie in 2005–06, Whaley appeared in 23 games and averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 11 points on December 23, 2005, against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. On January 26, 2006, he was ruled out indefinitely with torn cartilage in his right knee. He returned to action in March 2006, but appeared in just one further game after returning to injury. On December 11, 2005, Whaley and teammate

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in ...

got into an altercation with a group of

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

fans who were harassing them outside a Park City club. Both Whaley and Williams gave police false names at that time, and both were cited for providing false information to police. Whaley, who sustained a 6-inch cut on his hand at the bar that night, was suspended one game by the Jazz for lying about how he received the injury. On June 8, 2006, Whaley was traded, along with

Kris Humphries Kristopher Nathan Humphries (born February 6, 1985) is an American former professional basketball power forward who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA for the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, ...

, to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

in exchange for Rafael Araújo. He was later waived by the Raptors on June 21, 2006.

Post-NBA (2006–2008)

After being released by the Toronto Raptors, Whaley moved to the Dominican Republic where he played briefly with

Metros de Santiago Metros de Santiago is a professional basketball team based in Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago, Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in ...

. For the 2006–07 season, he joined the

Twin City Ballers The Twin City Ballers were an American Basketball Association franchise that played in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 2006. History The ABA expansion franchise, who would be based in Benton Harbor, Michigan but also claim "twin city" St. Joseph as ho ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. In March 2007, he left the Ballers and joined Petrochimi Imam of Iran for the rest of the season. On November 1, 2007, Whaley was selected by the

Los Angeles D-Fenders The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

in the second round of the 2007 NBA Development League Draft. He was waived by the team on January 4, 2008, and reacquired on February 13. In 22 games (nine starts) for the D-Fenders in 2007–08, he averaged 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game.

Post-basketball life

In September 2008, Whaley was convicted in Michigan of running a drug house. Having absconded from his probation in January 2009, a National Crime Information Center warrant was issued for his arrest in March 2010. He was arrested in Salt Lake County, and while he was being searched to be booked into jail, officers found several bags of marijuana on his possession. In June 2010, he was extradited to Michigan, and was later sentenced to a two-year jail term in which he served between 2010 and 2012. In 2014, Whaley became an assistant coach for Utah Elite, a talented AAU program made up primarily of fifth-graders. On March 7, 2016, Whaley was ordered to serve 60 days in Davis County Jail after pleading guilty to a third-degree felony count of burglary. He was arrested on May 1, 2015, for burglarizing a Layton Marriott Hotel.

References

External links

Robert Whaley
at nba.com
Robert Whaley
at ucbearcats.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Whaley, Robert 1982 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in Iran American men's basketball players American people convicted of drug offenses American prisoners and detainees Barton Cougars men's basketball players Basketball players from Michigan Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Sportspeople from Benton Harbor, Michigan Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC players Prisoners and detainees of Michigan Utah Jazz draft picks Utah Jazz players Walsh Cavaliers men's basketball players American people convicted of burglary 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Metros de Santiago players Iranian Basketball Super League players