Robert Covington

Robert Covington
Robert Covington
Born	December 14, 1990 (age 35); United States
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2013–present
Known for	NBA All-Defensive First Team (2018)

Robert Covington (born December 14, 1990) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently competed for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played collegiate basketball representing the Tennessee State Tigers and earned a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2018.

High school career

Covington attended Proviso West High School located in Hillside, Illinois. During his senior year in 2008–09, he averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, and seven blocks per contest. His performance led Proviso West to secure the conference championship, and he was honored as the West Suburban Conference Player of the Year. Additionally, he received first-team selections for both the All-Area and All-Conference squads.

College career

In his freshman year at Tennessee State, Covington was recognized with Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer accolades and earned Mid-Major Freshman All-America honors from Collegeinsider.com. Over 32 games with 28 starts, he averaged 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, alongside 1.1 steals and blocks each, playing approximately 27.3 minutes per game.

During his sophomore season, Covington recorded eight double-doubles and was named OVC Player of the Week on December 27, 2010. He led Tennessee State in rebounds (7.5 per game), field goal percentage (.500), and three-point shooting (.460), topping the Ohio Valley Conference in three-point accuracy. His achievements earned him second-team All-OVC and second-team NABC Division I All-District 19 honors. Across all 30 games started that season, he averaged 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and one block per game.

In his junior campaign, Covington attained first-team All-OVC and first-team NABC Division I All-District 19 recognition and was named co-MVP of the OVC by CollegeInsider.com for the 2011–12 season. He also secured spots on the OVC All-Tournament team and Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament team. By the conclusion of that year, he ranked 16th on Tennessee State’s all-time scoring list with 1,358 points and stood 13th in rebounds with 693. Over 33 games (32 starts), he posted averages of 17.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks.

In his senior year, despite missing ten contests due to injury, Covington repeated as a second-team All-OVC and second-team NABC Division I All-District 19 selectee. In the 23 games he played (starting in 22), he averaged 17 points, eight rebounds, 1.3 assists, an impressive 2.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. He concluded his collegiate career ranked seventh in Tennessee State history for both scoring (1,749 points) and rebounding (876 boards).

Houston Rockets (2013–2014)

After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Covington joined the Houston Rockets for their 2013 NBA Summer League roster and secured a multi-year contract on July 15, 2013. Throughout most of the 2013–14 season, he played primarily with Houston’s NBA Development League affiliate—the Rio Grande Valley Vipers—appearing in only seven NBA games that year.

Covington delivered a standout performance during the D-League All-Star Game in February 2014 by scoring a record-setting 33 points—including four three-pointers—and was awarded MVP honors during the NBA All-Star weekend held in New Orleans. In April, he was named NBA D-League Rookie of the Year after leading his team with averages of 23.2 points (second highest league-wide), along with 9.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals across 42 games (41 starts) for the Vipers.

Following participation in the Rockets’ Summer League squad, training camp, and preseason activities in 2014, Covington was waived on October 27 of that year.

Although drafted third overall by the Grand Rapids Drive during the 2015 D-League Draft, he did not suit up for that team.

Philadelphia 76ers (2014–2018)

Covington inked a five-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on November 15, 2014. He made his first appearance two days later, contributing six points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in just over 16 minutes coming off the bench. Early in that season, he repeatedly surpassed his personal bests, including back-to-back games scoring 25 points and reaching a career peak of 27 points on April 8, 2015.

During the 2015–16 season, after recovering from initial injuries, Covington led the league with an average of 3.6 steals per game by December. He became the first player since 1986 to notch six or more steals in three straight contests. On February 10, 2016, he set a new personal scoring record with 29 points, including seven made three-pointers, and later elevated that mark to 30 points in April. That season, he joined an exclusive group alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson by recording seven games with six or more three-pointers.

In the 2016–17 campaign, Covington achieved season-best figures of 26 points and 12 rebounds in December and delivered crucial plays such as a decisive finish against the Portland Trail Blazers. He matched his rebound high multiple times but was forced to miss time in March due to soreness in his right knee.

The start of the 2017–18 season saw Covington scoring an impressive 29 points in the opener and reaching a season-high of 31 points in November. Following a contract renegotiation, he secured a four-year extension worth $62 million with Philadelphia. His defensive excellence earned him a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team in May 2018.

Covington was a starter for the first 13 games of the 2018–19 season before being traded later that year.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2018–2020)

On November 12, 2018, Covington was part of a trade sending him to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Jerryd Bayless, Dario Šarić, and a second-round pick for 2022 in exchange for Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton. He made his Timberwolves debut two days later, notching 13 points and seven rebounds during a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. On December 31, he suffered a bone bruise on his right knee. After missing 23 contests, he was assigned to the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League on February 27, 2019. A subsequent setback led to him being ruled out for the remainder of the season on March 21, followed by successful arthroscopic surgery on April 1.

Return to Houston (2020)

Covington returned to the Rockets on February 5, 2020, as part of a four-team trade involving twelve players that sent multiple assets from Minnesota along with a first-round pick in 2020. He debuted for Houston the following day, contributing 14 points and eight rebounds in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 29, he recorded an impressive double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds plus three blocks during an overtime triumph against the Boston Celtics.

Portland Trail Blazers (2020–2022)

On November 22, 2020, Covington was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Trevor Ariza, draft rights to Isaiah Stewart, and a conditional future first-round selection.

Los Angeles Clippers (2022–2023)

Covington was traded along with Norman Powell to the Los Angeles Clippers on February 4, 2022. The deal sent Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson, Justise Winslow, and a second-round pick in 2025 to Portland. On April 1, Covington set a new career high by scoring 43 points while adding eight rebounds and three blocks during a dominant 153–119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. He made eleven three-pointers in that game—a franchise record for most threes made by a Clippers player in a single contest. On May 8, he agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $24 million with Los Angeles.

Return to Philadelphia (2023–2024)

On November 1, 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers brought back Covington as part of a trade deal involving the acquisition of Marcus Morris Sr., Kenyon Martin Jr., and Nicolas Batum from the Clippers. In exchange, the Clippers received James Harden, P. J. Tucker, and Filip Petrušev. Additionally, the Clippers transferred several draft selections and cash to the 76ers and arranged a pick swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder within this three-team transaction.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 7 || 0 || 4.8 || .429 || .364 || — || 0.7 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 2.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 70 || 49 || 27.9 || .396 || .374 || .820 || 4.5 || 1.5 || 1.4 || 0.4 || 13.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 67 || 49 || 28.4 || .385 || .353 || .791 || 6.3 || 1.4 || 1.6 || 0.6 || 12.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 67 || 67 || 31.6 || .399 || .333 || .822 || 6.5 || 1.5 || 1.9 || 1.0 || 12.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 80 || 80 || 31.6 || .413 || .369 || .853 || 5.4 || 2.0 || 1.7 || 0.9 || 12.6 |- |rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 13 || 13 || 33.8 || .427 || .390 || .739 || 5.2 || 1.1 || 1.8 || 1.8 || 11.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Minnesota | 22||22|| 34.7|| .433|| .372|| .773||5.7||1.5|| 2.3||1.1|| 14.5 |- |rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Minnesota |48||47||29.4||.435||.346||.798||6.0||1.2||1.7||0.9||12.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Houston |22||21||33.0||.392||.315||.800||8.0||1.5||1.6|||2.2|||11.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Portland |70||70||32.0||.401||.379||.806||6.7||1.7||1.4||1.2||8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"rowspan=2 | | style="text-align:left;" |Portland |48||40||29.8||.381||.343||.833||5.7||1.4||1.5||1.3||7.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" |L.A.~Clippers |23||2||22.1|||0.500|||0.450|||0.848|||5.1|||1.0|||1.3|||1.2|||10.4 |- |- | style="text-align:left;" | |- | style="text-align:left;" |L.A.~Clippers |- |48 |0 |16,2 |,445 |,397 |,750 |3,5 |1,2 |,8 |,7 |6,0 |- |- rowspan =2 |style = "text-align: left" | |- |style = "text-align: left" | L.A.~Clippers |- |3 |3 |23,1 |,333 |,250 |,500 |2,7 |2,3 |2,0 |1,0 |3,0 |- |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = "text-align: left" |-style = " text -align: center; "| colspan = "2"| Career |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2018 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 10 || 8 || 28.1 || .325 || .313 || .750 || 5.3 || 2.5 || 1.1 || .9 || 8.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2020 | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 12 || 12 || 31.6 || .495 || .500 || .857 || 5.0 || 1.3 || 2.5 || 1.1 || 11.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2021 | style="text-align:left;"|Portland | 6 || 6 || 38.0 || .500 || .500 || .900 || 7.8 || 1.2 || 1.5 || 1.1 || 9.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2023 | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Clippers | 2 || 0 || 6.0 || .000 || .000 || || 1.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .5 || .0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 30 || 26 || 30.0 || .424 || .429 || .818 || 5.4 || 1.7 || 1.7 || 1.0 || 9.0

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"|Tennessee State | 32 || 28 || 27.3 || .428 || .385 || .797 || 6.5 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 1.1 || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"|Tennessee State | 30 || 30 || 30.8 || .498 || .460|| .782||7.5||1.2||1.5||1.0||13.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2011–12 | style="text-align:left;"|Tennessee State | 33|| 32|| 31.2|| .526|| .448|| .775||7.9|| 1.3||1.5||1.4|| 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2012–13 | style="text-align:left;" |Tennessee State |23||21||31.0|| .435|| .388|| .850|| 8.0|| 1.3|| 2.2|| 1.7||17.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |118||111||30.0|| .476|| .422|| .802||7.4||1.2||1.5||1.3||14.8

Personal life

Dennis and Teresa Bryant are Covington's parents.^[1] He was romantically linked to German model and influencer Amirah Dyme; together they have a daughter named Harmony Faye, born on March 8, 2022.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content In the year 2025, Covington became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Awards and achievements

NBA Honors:

NBA G League Distinctions:

External links

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[bio-1] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bio

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