Never Forget: Robert Traylor

Robert "Tractor" Traylor.

The big man from Michigan.

You may remember him, or you may have never even heard his name once.

He was a big deal though. In high school, he was a McDonald's All-American with the likes of KG, Paul Pierce, and Vince Carter.

In his 3rd and final year at Michigan, "Tractor Traylor" averaged a double-double with just over 16 ppg and 10 rpg.

He entered the NBA draft in 1998 and was drafted 6th overall by the Dallas Mavericks.

And get this- the Mavs traded the big man away for two players- Pat Garrity, and DIRK NOWITZKI.

That's the appeal that Traylor had at the time. Of course, none of us knew what Nowitzki would become.

Traylor went on to have a pretty disappointing NBA career, bouncing around the league and finishing with a career average of under 5 ppg and 4 rpg.

He eventually went on to play overseas, and unfortunately passed away of a heart attack at age 34 while playing in Puerto Rico.

It was a very sad ending to a disappointing career, but the lack of production in the NBA doesn't erase the beast that he was in college.