Robert Woodard II
Robert Woodard II | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 22, 1999 Columbus, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Known for | Playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League |
Robert Anthony Woodard II (born September 22, 1999) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League. He competed at the collegiate level representing Mississippi State.
Early life
Woodard participated in both basketball and baseball during his early years but shifted his focus exclusively to basketball by the time he reached high school, largely due to his height advantage. His talent drew attention from Division I programs as early as eighth grade. He attended Columbus High School located in Columbus, Mississippi. During his sophomore year, Woodard led Columbus to its inaugural Mississippi Class 6A state championship, averaging 20.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and four assists per game. In his junior season, he elevated his performance to 25.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and three blocks per contest, earning him the prestigious Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year honor. As a senior, he secured a second Class 6A state title and repeated as Gatorade Player of the Year. Rated as a four-star recruit and recognized as Mississippi’s top prospect, Woodard committed to Mississippi State over offers from Alabama, Memphis, and Ole Miss.
College career
In his freshman year at Mississippi State, Woodard averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds across 17.4 minutes per game, starting in one matchup and shooting at a 46 percent clip from the field. He dedicated the subsequent summer to enhancing his shooting accuracy and physical strength. On November 17, 2019, Woodard achieved career-best statistics with 21 points and 16 rebounds during an 82–59 victory against New Orleans. His sophomore campaign saw improvements as he averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Following that season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft with intentions to stay in the selection process. Throughout his college tenure, Woodard accumulated totals of 539 points, 342 rebounds, 53 steals, 49 blocks, and 65 assists.
Sacramento / Stockton Kings / Austin Spurs (2020–2022)
Woodard was chosen with the 40th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies but was promptly traded along with a 2022 second-round draft pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Xavier Tillman. He officially signed with Sacramento on December 1, 2020. On February 1, 2021, he was assigned to the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League for further development. After recuperating from an undisclosed illness, Woodard was reassigned to the Stockton Kings on January 5, 2022. The Sacramento Kings released him on February 10, 2022.
Oklahoma City Blue (2022–2023)
Woodard was claimed off waivers by the Iowa Wolves on February 19, 2022, but was traded two days later to the Oklahoma City Blue in exchange for Melvin Frazier. On March 4, 2022, he secured a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
On October 4, 2022, Woodard signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, only to be waived after participating in one preseason game on October 7. Subsequently, he joined the opening night roster of the Oklahoma City Blue on November 3, 2022.
ADA Blois (2023)
Woodard inked a deal with ADA Blois of France’s top-tier league Betclic Élite on August 2, 2023.
Maroussi (2023–2024)
On December 17, 2023, Woodard inked a contract with the Greek basketball team Maroussi to compete for the rest of that season.
Memphis Hustle (2024–2025)
Woodard became a member of the Memphis Hustle roster on October 28, 2024.
Delaware Blue Coats (2025–present)
In a multi-team transaction involving draft selections and player swaps, Woodard was traded to the Delaware Blue Coats on January 6, 2025.
National team career
Woodard secured a gold medal representing the United States at the 2015 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship held in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. He participated in all five matches, averaging 5.6 points along with 3.8 rebounds per game.
NBA
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 13 || 0 || 3.5 || .400 || .167 || .375 || 1.2 || .2 || .0 || .2 || 1.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 12 || 0 || 3.5 || .125 || .250 || 1.000 || .9 || .3 || .1 || .1 || .6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 25 || 0 || 3.5 || .278 || .200 || .500 || 1.1 || .2 || .0 || .2 || 1.1
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;"| Mississippi State | 34 || 1 || 17.5 || .468 || .273 || .580 || 4.1 || .7 || .5 || .5 || 5.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| Mississippi State | 31 || 31 || 33.1 || .495 || .429 || .641 || 6.5 || 1.3 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 11.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 65 || 32 || 24.9 || .485 || .368 || .617 || 5.3 || 1.0 || .8 || .8 || 8.3
Personal life
Robert Woodard, Woodard's father, held the record as Mississippi's highest-scoring high school basketball player with a total of 4,274 points before his collegiate career at Mississippi State.