Rodney Ray Rogers (born June 20, 1971) 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 who played for several teams in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Early life

Rogers was the fourth and youngest child born to Willie Wardsworth and Estella Rogers. He spent most of his childhood growing up in the McDougald Terrace housing project in Durham. His father, who left the family and moved to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

when Rogers was a toddler, died when Rogers was eight.Atkinson, Charlie. - "Battling the Odds: Life Hasn't Dealt Kindly with Hillside's Rogers". - ''

Greensboro News & Record The ''News & Record'' is an American, English language newspaper with the largest circulation serving Guilford County, North Carolina, and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and produces local sections for Greensbo ...

''. - February 23, 1990. , - McCann, Gary. - "Rogers Making Most of Chance". - ''

''. - May 26, 1991. , - Chandler, Charles. - "Deacons' Rogers Keeps Family Close During Tough Times". - '' Charlotte Observer''. - March 12, 1992. , - McCann, Gary. - "Kid From the 'Hood Has Dreams". - ''

''. - November 22, 1992. , - "Rogers leaving demons in his past". - ''

The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in the Denver metropolitan area. it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 mil ...

''. - July 1, 1993. Estella Rogers sustained severe head injuries and required two operations when she was nearly killed in an automobile wreck in 1988. She was in a coma for more than two weeks and remained hospitalized for three more months. Even after she returned home she still had memory loss and needed extra care. While his mother recovered, Rogers moved in with Nathaniel Brooks, who was once his youth league coach, spending his last two seasons at Hillside High School with the Brooks family. His stepfather James Spencer, who was the only man Rogers called "Dad", died of lung cancer in February 1990. Renita, the oldest of the Rogers children, became a nurse at N.C. Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill. His oldest brother Stacy, who attended the Eastern N.C. School for the Deaf in Wilson and the N.C. School for the Deaf in Morganton, won a gold medal in basketball at the 1981 XIV

Deaflympics The Deaflympics, also known as Deaflympiad (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are a periodic series of multi-sport events sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at which deaf athle ...

(aka "World Games for the Deaf" and "World Deaf Olympics") in

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urba ...

. After that he worked for the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

Hospital in Durham. Stanley, his other brother, served over 10 years (1981–1991) of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery at Central Prison in

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

High school

Rogers attended Hillside High School in Durham. As an athlete, he was known as "the Durham Bull". He was a two-time ''

'' All-State selection, and was named the 1990 North Carolina state Player of the Year. As a junior, he averaged 22.5 points and 9.7 rebounds, and in his senior year he averaged 28.3 points and 12.3 rebounds on a team that finished 27-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the state 4-A playoffs. He was named McDonald's All-American and scored 17 points in the game.

College career

From 1990 until 1993, Rogers played

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

, where he won the 1990–1991 season Rookie of the Year honor (over

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a part-owner of Orlando City SC of Major League ...

) and was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1993, averaging 21.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. His final college statistics were 19.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, and he was the number nine draft pick in the

1993 NBA draft The 1993–94 NBA season, 1993 NBA draft took place on June 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The draft had some talented players at the top, but injuries and personal problems hurt many of them. Chris Webber, Pen ...

for the

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 ...

. Rogers's college jersey #54 was retired in February 1996 by the Demon Deacons.

Professional career

Rogers was drafted with the 9th pick by the

in the

and spent his rookie year coming off the bench for a team which was the first 8th-seeded team in

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

history to beat a first-seeded team, the Seattle SuperSonics. Rogers had one significant game in his rookie year, against 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 ...

on February 8, 1994. Near the end of the game, Rogers hit three 3-pointers in a span of nine seconds to bring the Nuggets from a 94–86 deficit to a 95–94 lead. However, Jeff Malone hit a jumper with 12 seconds remaining to give the Jazz the 96–95 win. Rogers became a starter his second season, in large part due to frequent injuries suffered by LaPhonso Ellis. On March 10, 1995, Rogers grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds, scored 19 points, and recorded 8 assists during a 99–88 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. On June 28, Rogers was traded to the

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

, with draft rights to

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Brent Barry, for the draft rights to forward Antonio McDyess and guard Randy Woods. He spent four years with the Clippers. Rogers signed with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

in 1999. He averaged 13.8 points per game coming off the bench and won the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

in 2000. The Suns entered the playoffs that year, but lost to the eventual champion

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 ...

. Rogers remained with the Suns until February 2002, when he was traded to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

alongside Tony Delk for

Milt Palacio Milton Sigmund Palacio (born February 7, 1978) is a Belizean American professional basketball coach and former player. Early life Palacio, a Belizean citizen, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California by Belizean parents. College career P ...

, Randy Brown, Joe Johnson and a 2002 first-round draft pick. Rogers signed with the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

as a free agent on August 14, 2002. During his first year with the Nets he averaged 7 points per game coming off the bench. The high point of his season was during a playoff game against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

on April 24, 2003. After missing two free throws, Rogers came back on the next possession to hit the game-winning shot. The Nets won that series and went on to make the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

, where they lost to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Rogers saw more playing time the next year, mainly due to some frontcourt injuries. He signed with the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

on August 3, 2004. He was injured for much of the early part of that season, but eventually became a team starter. On February 24, 2005, Rogers was traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, along with injured forward Jamal Mashburn, for also-injured forward Glenn Robinson. He was primarily used as a backup forward for the 76ers.

Personal life and post-NBA career

Right after being drafted by the Denver Nuggets, in the summer of 1993, Rogers married Tisa White. They had three children together, two girls (Roddreka and Rydeiah) and one son (Rodney Rogers II). Roddreka, who was born December 1, 1993, underwent a 5-hour emergency neurological operation when she was just two months old. Rodney and Tisa have since divorced. After Rogers was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1999, the family made Paradise Valley, Arizona their home until 2006. Tisa returned to Durham to take over her father's family real estate business, in which Rogers was an investor. He returned to Durham in 2006 and went to work for the City of Durham as a heavy equipment operator. Rogers was promoted to supervisor in the spring of 2008. Most of his Public Works Department co-workers did not know he had been in the NBA and set for life financially until his dirt bike accident later that year. Rogers is the cousin of former

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Tully Banta-Cain. Rogers was a volunteer girls' basketball coach at Rogers-Herr Middle School,Saunders, Barry. -
Rodney Rogers is severely injured: Rogers' ex-coach says he is paralyzed
". - ''

The News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

''. - December 04, 2008 and he co-founded the Durham Eagles youth football team. He enjoyed hunting, riding motorcycles and ATVs, horseback riding and fishing. He is a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

fan and loves big trucks and construction equipment. Rogers was interviewed in his home for the 2025 HBO MAX documentary We Beat The Dream Team.

2008 ATV accident

On November 28, 2008, Rogers was involved in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) crash in rural Vance County north of

. Rogers drove into a ditch while riding through a trail and flipped over his vehicle's handlebars. He was first flown to Duke University Medical Center, then on December 3 was moved by air ambulance to the Shepherd Center in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, which specializes spinal cord and brain injuries. Rogers is paralyzed from the shoulders down as a result of the accident, and doctors have given him only a 5% chance of ever walking again.Fowler, Scott
News & Observer: Unable to walk, Rodney Rogers regaining his stride
.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 79 , , 14 , , 17.8 , , .439 , , .380 , , .672 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .6 , , 8.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 77 , , 26.8 , , .488 , , .388 , , .651 , , 4.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 12.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , LA Clippers , 67 , , 51 , , 29.1 , , .477 , , .320 , , .628 , , 4.3 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , LA Clippers , 81 , , 62 , , 30.6 , , .462 , , .361 , , .663 , , 5.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 13.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , LA Clippers , 76 , , 70 , , 32.9 , , .456 , , .340 , , .686 , , 5.6 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , LA Clippers , 47 , , 7 , , 20.6 , , .441 , , .286 , , .673 , , 3.8 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 7.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 82 , , 7 , , 27.9 , , .486 , , .439 , , .639 , , 5.5 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 13.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 82 , , 3 , , 26.6 , , .430 , , .296 , , .761 , , 4.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 12.2 , - , align="left" rowspan="2", , align="left" , Phoenix , 50 , , 7 , , 25.1 , , .466 , , .350 , , .828 , , 4.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 27 , , 1 , , 23.2 , , .482 , , .411 , , .700 , , 4.0 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .4 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 68 , , 0 , , 19.2 , , .402 , , .333 , , .756 , , 3.9 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .5 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 69 , , 15 , , 20.4 , , .410 , , .329 , , .765 , , 4.4 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .4 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" rowspan="2", , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 30 , , 26 , , 29.4 , , .377 , , .272 , , .762 , , 4.7 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 28 , , 7 , , 17.3 , , .391 , , .303 , , .714 , , 3.7 , , .9 , , .8 , , .3 , , 6.0 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 866 , , 347 , , 25.3 , , .451 , , .347 , , .690 , , 4.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 10.9

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , 0 , , 15.8 , , .388 , , .316 , , .630 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .5 , , 5.1 , - , align="left" ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 25.3 , , .545 , , .250 , , .250 , , 4.0 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, align="left" , LA Clippers , 3 , , 3 , , 28.3 , , .414 , , .200 , , .750 , , 2.3 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 9 , , 0 , , 29.2 , , .417 , , .222 , , .742 , , 6.8 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 14.1 , - , align="left" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 4 , , 0 , , 20.5 , , .300 , , .200 , , .643 , , 3.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , .8 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, align="left" ,

, 16 , , 0 , , 24.6 , , .426 , , .365 , , .886 , , 5.5 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 8.9 , - , align="left" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, align="left" ,

, 20 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .372 , , .405 , , .711 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.7 , - , align="left" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, align="left" ,

, 11 , , 0 , , 20.7 , , .319 , , .227 , , .800 , , 5.0 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .462 , , .375 , , .714 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .5 , , 5.0 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 82 , , 6 , , 20.9 , , .392 , , .310 , , .734 , , 3.9 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .5 , , 7.9

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Rodney 1971 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Durham, North Carolina Boston Celtics players Denver Nuggets draft picks Denver Nuggets players FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Hillside High School (Durham, North Carolina) alumni Los Angeles Clippers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 1991 Summer Universiade NASCAR team owners New Jersey Nets players New Orleans Hornets players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People with tetraplegia Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns players Power forwards Small forwards Summer World University Games medalists in basketball Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball players