Robert Ridjell Upshaw III (born January 5, 1994) is an American 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 who last played for the Salem Capitals of

The Basketball League The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball league. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and has since expanded. TBL's regular season runs from Feb ...

. He played college basketball for the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

and

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

College career

Upshaw played high school basketball for

San Joaquin Memorial High School San Joaquin Memorial High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in Fresno, California, United States. Founded in 1945, it is the only Catholic high school in the Fresno metropolitan area. It is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno a ...

in his hometown of

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

. A top 100 recruit, he originally committed to play college basketball for

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

, but was released from his commitment when Wildcats head coach Frank Martin left for another job. He then chose local Fresno State, where as a freshman in the 2012–13 season he averaged 4.1

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, 3.8

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 1.8 blocks per game. In the summer after his freshman season, Upshaw was dismissed from the Bulldogs for violations of team rules. The 7'0"

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

then transferred to Washington. After sitting out the 2013–14 season per

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

transfer rules, he played 19 games for the Huskies, averaging 10.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. On January 26, 2015, Upshaw was dismissed from the Washington program, again for violations of team rules. He was leading the country in blocked shots per game at the time of his dismissal and had led the Huskies in rebounding.

Professional career

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2015–2016)

Upshaw declared his eligibility for the

2015 NBA draft The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

rather than transfer to another college program. At the NBA Draft Combine, Upshaw measured as one of the tallest players in attendance (an even seven feet tall in shoes) with the longest standing reach and wingspan. He was projected as a late first-round or early second-round selection, but went undrafted, likely due to his personal issues. In July 2015, he joined the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

for the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three professional sports, pro basketball sports league, leagues organized by the National Basketball Association, NBA: the Orlando Magic, Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas S ...

, where he averaged a mere 1.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Upshaw felt there was more in him than his Summer League showing, and after dropping 20 pounds, he signed with the Lakers for training camp on September 14, 2015. He was later waived by the Lakers on October 20 after appearing in four preseason games. On October 31, 2015, he was acquired 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 ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

as an affiliate player of the Lakers. Upshaw received consistent minutes for the D-Fenders throughout the season before losing his spot in the rotation in late February 2016. On March 11, 2016, his contract was terminated by the D-League for violating the league's anti-drug program. In 28 games (two starts) for the D-Fenders in 2015–16, he averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 15.6 minutes per game.

BC Kalev/Cramo (2016)

On September 1, 2016, Upshaw signed with

BC Kalev/Cramo BC Kalev, also known as BC Kalev/Cramo for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Tallinn, Estonia. The team plays in the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML), the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the FIBA Europe Cup. Their ...

of the Estonian League. He appeared in five games for Kalev/Cramo during October before leaving the team in November due to a knee injury.

Mayrouba Club and Chemidor Tehran (2016–2017)

After leaving Kalev/Cramo, Upshaw joined

Mayrouba Club Mayrouba Club is a basketball team that plays in the Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Lebanon. It is organized annually a ...

of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketb ...

in late November 2016. He made his debut for Mayrouba in their 2016–17 season opener on December 2. In 18 games for Mayrouba, he averaged 19.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists 3.6 blocks per game. In April 2017, he joined Iranian team Chemidor Tehran for a three-game stint.

Guaros de Lara (2017)

In September 2017, Upshaw signed with

Guaros de Lara The Guaros de Lara is a Venezuelan professional basketball club, that is based in Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela. Guaros de Lara BBC has existed as a club in various different forms since 1983. It has existed in its current form since 2003. The c ...

of the Venezuelan

Liga Profesional de Baloncesto The Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto, commonly known as the SPB, is the Venezuelan first division national professional basketball league. Founded in 1974 as the Liga Especial de Baloncesto, it adopted the name Liga Profesional de Baloncesto i ...

for the

FIBA Intercontinental Cup The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, previously known to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs and the FIBA Club World Cup, is an annual international men's basketball competition organised by FIBA, the sport's global governing body. The competit ...

Champville (2017–2018)

On October 4, 2017, Upshaw signed with Champville of the

. He left the team in February 2018. In 17 games, he averaged 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.

Yakima SunKings (2018)

In March 2018, Upshaw joined the Yakima SunKings of the

North American Premier Basketball The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball league. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and has since expanded. TBL's regular season runs from Feb ...

. He helped the SunKings win the championship. In five games, he averaged 11.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game.

Arka Gdynia (2018–2019)

In August 2018, Upshaw signed with

Arka Gdynia Morski Związkowy Klub Sportowy Arka Gdynia () is a professional football club based in Gdynia, Poland, that plays in the Ekstraklasa after winning the 2024–25 I liga. The club was founded as Klub Sportowy Gdynia in 1929. History The h ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

and the EuroCup.

Arel Üniversitesi Büyükçekmece (2019–2020)

On July 19, 2019, Upshaw signed with Arel Üniversitesi Büyükçekmece of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

Fuenlabrada (2020)

On July 2, 2020, Upshaw signed with

Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,586, making it the region's fourth most populated municipality. Placename The etymology of ''Fuenlabrada'' comes from the contra ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. In three games, he averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Al-Ahli and Buyuksehir Hastanesi Konyaspor (2020–2021)

On November 19, 2020, Upshaw signed with Al-Ahli of the

Bahraini Premier League The Bahraini Premier League is the main domestic football competition in the kingdom of Bahrain. Currently known as the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League, the first season was held in 1956-1957. The winners of the domestic championship qualify f ...

. In 10 games, he averaged 25.6 points, 15.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. In March 2021, he joined Buyuksehir Hastanesi Konyaspor of the

Turkish Basketball First League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

. In 12 games, he averaged 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

BC Tsmoki-Minsk (2021)

On August 23, 2021, Upshaw signed with

BC Tsmoki-Minsk Basketball Club Minsk () is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Minsk, Belarus. They play in the Belarus Premier League and the VTB United League. The team plays its home games at the Minsk Arena. Established in 2006 as ...

of the Belarus Premier League and the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

. He left the team in November 2021.

Tainan TSG GhostHawks and Shaanxi Wolves (2022–2023)

On November 10, 2022, Upshaw signed with

Tainan TSG GhostHawks The TSG GhostHawks ( zh, 台鋼獵鷹) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Tainan City. They have competed in the T1 League since the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at the Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Scienc ...

of the

T1 League The T1 League ( zh, T1聯盟) was a professional basketball league in Taiwan. It was the third Taiwanese professional basketball league after the now-defunct Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA; 1994–1999) and P. League+ (PLG; founded in 2020). ...

. In 33 games in the 2022–23 season, he averaged 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. On July 4, 2023, Upshaw signed with

Shaanxi Wolves The Shaanxi Xinda Wolves are a Chinese professional men's basketball club based in Weinan, Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the nort ...

of the National Basketball League for the 2023 season, which started on July 2. On July 24, 2023, Upshaw re-signed with the

. His contract was terminated by the GhostHawks on November 20, 2023. He appeared in one game for Tainan to begin the 2023–24 season.

Iğdır Basketbol (2024)

In February 2024, Upshaw joined Iğdır Basketbol in Turkey. He played six games.

Seattle Super Hawks (2024)

In May 2024, Upshaw joined the Seattle Super Hawks of

Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards (2024)

On August 31, 2024, Upshaw signed with the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards of the

Taiwan Professional Basketball League The Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL, zh, 台灣職業籃球大聯盟) is a professional basketball List of basketball leagues, league in Taiwan composed of 7 teams. It is the fourth Taiwanese professional basketball league after the ...

(TPBL). On December 19, he was released by the Leopards after six games due to a knee injury.

Salem Capitals (2025)

On March 31, 2025, Upshaw signed with the Salem Capitals of

References

External links

TPBL profileNBA D-League profileTBLStat.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upshaw, Robert 1994 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen Al-Ahli Club (Manama) basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Belarus American expatriate basketball people in Estonia American expatriate basketball people in Iran American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's basketball players Arka Gdynia (basketball) players Baloncesto Fuenlabrada players Basketball players from Fresno, California BC Kalev/Cramo players BC Tsmoki-Minsk players Büyükçekmece Basketbol players Centers (basketball) Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball players Guaros de Lara players Iranian Basketball Super League players Liga ACB players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Mayrouba Club players Shaanxi Wolves players Tainan TSG GhostHawks players T1 League imports T1 League All-Stars Taiwan Professional Basketball League imports Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards players Washington Huskies men's basketball players Chemidor Tehran BC players Konyaspor Basketbol players Iğdır Basketbol players