# Robert Traylor
**Robert Traylor** (Robert DeShaun Traylor, born 1977 in Detroit, Michigan; died May 11, 2011), nicknamed "Tractor", was an American professional basketball player who played seven NBA seasons as a center and power forward and is best remembered as the player [Milwaukee](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee) traded for on draft night 1998 in the deal that sent [Dirk Nowitzki](https://www.edgepedia.org/dirk-nowitzki) to the [Dallas Mavericks](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-mavericks).[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) • [2](https://mgoblue.com/documents/download/2016/10/12/bkm_professional_players.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1977, Detroit, Michigan; May 11, 2011, found dead in his apartment in Puerto Rico at age 34[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/robert-tractor-traylor-found-dead/) |
| Physical profile | 6 ft 8 in (203 cm), 284 lb (128 kg); played center and power forward, shot right-handed[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) |
| Draft | 1998 NBA Draft, first round, sixth overall, by the Dallas Mavericks; traded that night to Milwaukee for Pat Garrity and Dirk Nowitzki[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) • [2](https://mgoblue.com/documents/download/2016/10/12/bkm_professional_players.pdf) |
| NBA career | 7 seasons, 438 games, 4.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game, 47.4% field-goal shooting[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) |
| NBA teams | Milwaukee Bucks (1998–2000), Cleveland Cavaliers (2000–01), Charlotte Hornets (2001–02)[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) |
| College | Michigan, 1995–98; NABC third-team All-American in 1998; left after his junior season[4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/robert-traylor-1.html) • [5](https://collegehoopedia.com/players/robert-tractor-traylor) |
| Later career | Played overseas from about 2005, for clubs in six countries, ending with the Vaqueros de Bayamón of Puerto Rico's BSN League[6](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/697564-robert-tractor-traylor-death-inside-the-life-of-former-nba-player) • [7](https://hoopsmatic.com/career-maps/player/robert-traylor.html) |
## Early life and college career
Traylor grew up in inner-city Detroit and played high school basketball at Murray-Wright in Detroit.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) • [8](https://www.pgpost.com/files/48805894.pdf) He was already overweight as a high school player, a condition sportswriter Terry Foster of CBS Detroit described as a burden that may have contributed to his later death.[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/terry-foster-giving-robert-traylor-his-nickname/)
At the University of Michigan he played three seasons from 1995–96 through 1997–98. As a freshman he averaged 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game while shooting 55.4% from the field.[4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/robert-traylor-1.html) After his junior season he earned NABC third-team All-American recognition in 1998 and declared for the [NBA draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-draft) as an undergraduate.[5](https://collegehoopedia.com/players/robert-tractor-traylor)
## The 1998 draft and the Nowitzki trade
The Dallas Mavericks held the sixth overall pick in the 1998 draft and selected Traylor, but they had already arranged a deal with Milwaukee, which held the ninth pick. Dallas picked Traylor at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6), the Bucks took the German teenager Dirk Nowitzki at No. 9, and Milwaukee also sent the No. 19 selection, Pat Garrity, to Dallas.[10](https://www.nba.com/news/dirk-nowitzki-hall-of-fame-profile) • [2](https://mgoblue.com/documents/download/2016/10/12/bkm_professional_players.pdf) Dallas then packaged Garrity to Phoenix for a young point guard named [Steve Nash](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-nash).[10](https://www.nba.com/news/dirk-nowitzki-hall-of-fame-profile)
At the time the trade was seen as a coup for Milwaukee. CNN/SI writer Dan Shanoff wrote that the Bucks had "stolen the marketable and talented Robert Traylor from the Mavs for an overhyped foreign prospect."[8](https://www.pgpost.com/files/48805894.pdf) Nowitzki went on to become a nine-time All-Star, league MVP, and 2011 NBA champion, and the deal is now routinely listed among the most lopsided trades in NBA history.[11](https://www.nba.com/magic/news/aroundtheassociation_draftdaytrades_061510.html) • [12](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/biggest-nba-draft-night-trades-kobe-bryant-to-lakers-celtics-get-bill-russell-luka-doncic-trae-young-swap)
## NBA career
Traylor debuted for Milwaukee on February 6, 1999, the delayed start of the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, and appeared in 49 games with 43 starts, averaging 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 16.0 minutes.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) His second season in Milwaukee brought reduced minutes, 10.2 per game, and 3.6 points.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html)
His most productive NBA season came in 2000–01 with the [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-cavaliers): 70 games, 5.7 points, and 4.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) He finished his NBA career with the [Charlotte Hornets](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlotte-hornets) in 2001–02, averaging 3.7 points in 61 games.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html) Across 438 games he shot 47.4% from the field but only 57.7% from the free-throw line.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html)
**Weight and reputation.** Constant battles with weight and poor play eventually led to Traylor being regarded as a draft bust, and by 2005 he was playing overseas.[6](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/697564-robert-tractor-traylor-death-inside-the-life-of-former-nba-player) He later admitted in a 2009 [Detroit Free Press](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-free-press) story that he had once supported as many as 20 friends and family members, and that he squandered much of his NBA earnings.[8](https://www.pgpost.com/files/48805894.pdf)
## Overseas career and death
After leaving the NBA, Traylor played professionally abroad for teams from Turkey to Puerto Rico, appearing for 10 clubs in 6 countries and finishing with the Vaqueros de Bayamón (Bayamón Cowboys) of Puerto Rico's BSN League.[6](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/697564-robert-tractor-traylor-death-inside-the-life-of-former-nba-player) • [7](https://hoopsmatic.com/career-maps/player/robert-traylor.html) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/robert-tractor-traylor-found-dead/)
On May 11, 2011, Traylor was found dead in his apartment in Puerto Rico at age 34. His team said on its website that he may have died from a massive heart attack; the confirmed cause of death was not immediately released.[13](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-11/-tractor-traylor-former-nba-player-found-dead-in-puerto-rico-at-age-34) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/robert-tractor-traylor-found-dead/) He had struggled with health and weight issues throughout most of his adult life.[14](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/robert-traylor-found-dead)
## Legacy
Traylor's name survives mainly through the trade that carried him out of Dallas. [The Mavericks](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mavericks)' own media guide records the transaction plainly: Dallas acquired Nowitzki (ninth overall) and Garrity (19th overall) from Milwaukee for the draft rights to Traylor (sixth overall).[15](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/legacy/www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-24-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide-1.pdf) What was framed in 1998 as Milwaukee stealing a talented Michigan star became, in retrospect, the transaction that delivered a franchise player to Dallas, and it is a standard entry in rankings of the worst trades in NBA history.[12](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/biggest-nba-draft-night-trades-kobe-bryant-to-lakers-celtics-get-bill-russell-luka-doncic-trae-young-swap) • [16](https://as.com/us/us/2017/02/25/masdeporte/1488058138_636601.html)
## References
1. [Robert Traylor Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/traylro01.html)
2. [Michigan Basketball History & Records, Professional Basketball (mgoblue.com)](https://mgoblue.com/documents/download/2016/10/12/bkm_professional_players.pdf)
3. [Robert "Tractor" Traylor Found Dead, CBS Detroit](https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/robert-tractor-traylor-found-dead/)
4. [Robert Traylor College Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/robert-traylor-1.html)
5. [Robert "Tractor" Traylor, College Hoopedia](https://collegehoopedia.com/players/robert-tractor-traylor)
6. [Robert Tractor Traylor Death: Inside the Life of Former NBA Player, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/697564-robert-tractor-traylor-death-inside-the-life-of-former-nba-player)
7. [Where Has Robert Traylor Played? HoopsHype career map](https://hoopsmatic.com/career-maps/player/robert-traylor.html)
8. [New PG Post Vol. 73 #33 (August 18, 2005)](https://www.pgpost.com/files/48805894.pdf)
9. [Terry Foster: Giving Robert Traylor His Nickname, CBS Detroit](https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/terry-foster-giving-robert-traylor-his-nickname/)
10. [Dirk Nowitzki's journey from Germany to Dallas to the Hall of Fame, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/dirk-nowitzki-hall-of-fame-profile)
11. [Around the Association: The Offseason, Orlando Magic (NBA.com)](https://www.nba.com/magic/news/aroundtheassociation_draftdaytrades_061510.html)
12. [Biggest NBA draft night trades, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/biggest-nba-draft-night-trades-kobe-bryant-to-lakers-celtics-get-bill-russell-luka-doncic-trae-young-swap)
13. ['Tractor' Traylor, Ex-NBA Player, Found Dead in Puerto Rico, Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-11/-tractor-traylor-former-nba-player-found-dead-in-puerto-rico-at-age-34)
14. [Robert Traylor found dead, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/robert-traylor-found-dead)
15. [2023-24 Dallas Mavericks Media Guide](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/legacy/www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-24-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide-1.pdf)
16. [Cousins y los 20 peores traspasos históricos, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2017/02/25/masdeporte/1488058138_636601.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 1996–2010 › NBA centers, 1996–2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license