Ronald Roberts (basketball)

Ronald C. Roberts Jr.
Ronald C. Roberts Jr.
Born	August 5, 1991 (age 35); Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Former professional basketball player
Years active	2014–2021
Known for	Professional basketball career in NBA Development League and international leagues; member of Dominican Republic national team at 2019 FIBA World Cup

Ronald C. Roberts Jr. (born August 5, 1991) is a former professional basketball player with dual American and Dominican nationality. He competed collegiately at Saint Joseph's University before embarking on a professional journey that included stints in the NBA Development League as well as basketball leagues across the Philippines, Turkey, Israel, Germany, France, and the Dominican Republic. Roberts also played for the Dominican Republic national team during the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

High school career

Roberts started his high school basketball at Bayonne High School in Bayonne, New Jersey, then transferred to St. Peter's Preparatory School for his junior year in 2008. In that junior season, he posted averages of 17.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per contest, securing first team all-county and all-league distinctions while helping his county champion team achieve a 23–3 record and a seventh-place state ranking.

On November 19, 2009, Roberts committed to St. John's University by signing a National Letter of Intent. During his senior year (2009–10), he improved his stats to average 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game, guiding Saint Peter's to a 24–5 record and sixth place in the state standings.

Awards and honors

2010 All-State Third Team
2010 All-Non Public Second Team
2010 Hudson County All-Area First Team
2009 Hudson County All-Area First Team

College career

Following a coaching change at St. John's in April 2010, Roberts was released from his letter of intent. The subsequent month, he accepted a Grant-in-Aid scholarship to join Saint Joseph's University.

As a freshman with the Saint Joseph's Hawks, Roberts earned the Robert O'Neill Memorial Award for Most Improved Player by averaging 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds over 33 games with 12 starts. His sophomore campaign saw him repeat as Most Improved Player and collect the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year award while averaging 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds across 34 appearances.

In his junior year, Roberts secured the Robert O'Neill Award for the third straight season along with the John P. Hilferty Memorial Award as team MVP. He received All-Atlantic 10 third team and All-Big 5 first team recognition after averaging 11.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in 32 games (31 starts). During his senior season, he again earned the Hilferty Award and was named to both the All-Atlantic 10 third team and Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team following the Hawks’ conference championship victory; he averaged 14.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks over 32 starts.

2014–15 season

After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Roberts participated with the Philadelphia 76ers during the Orlando Summer League and later joined the Miami Heat for the Las Vegas Summer League, posting combined averages of 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds over nine games. He signed with Philadelphia on September 29, 2014, but was waived on October 25 after appearing in four preseason games.

Roberts was picked up on November 3 by the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player connected to the Sixers. He briefly rejoined Philadelphia on December 12 but was released three days later without playing in any regular-season contests and subsequently returned to Delaware.

On January 21, 2015, Roberts was traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors along with rights to Darington Hobson in exchange for Sean Kilpatrick and a first-round draft pick. After two appearances with Santa Cruz, he signed with the San Miguel Beermen as an import player for the 2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup on January 27. Throughout that D-League season, Roberts averaged totals of 17.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks over sixteen games before being released by San Miguel after four matches on February 17.

2015–16 season

On July 21, 2015, Roberts inked a contract with the Toronto Raptors after posting averages of 10.3 points and 9.5 rebounds across four Summer League contests. He was released on October 24 following three preseason games. Subsequently, on November 13, he signed with Raptors 905, debuting on November 25 by contributing 11 points and 13 rebounds in a victory against the Idaho Stampede.

Roberts' campaign during the 2015–16 season was significantly impacted by injuries, including an ankle sprain, knee irritation, and a hip contusion. Although his playing time was limited, he earned selection as a 2016 NBA D-League All-Star but participated sparingly due to a jammed thumb. After playing eight minutes on February 5, he was sidelined for the remainder of the season on March 16 with a right knee patellar tendon strain and was waived by Raptors 905 on March 22.

Throughout 24 games—all starts—for Raptors 905, Roberts averaged 18.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in an average of 33.2 minutes per contest.

2016–17 season

Roberts joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2016 NBA Summer League in July 2016. On July 4, he signed with Tofaş competing in the Turkish Basketball Super League. Following a knee injury sustained on December 10, Roberts parted ways with Tofaş and returned to the United States. In his tenure at Tofaş spanning ten games, he averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per outing.

2017–18 season

On August 2, 2017, Roberts agreed to a one-year contract with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League, but was released on October 5 due to a reported knee injury.

Later that year, on November 13, Roberts signed with Israeli outfit Hapoel Jerusalem for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. He made an impactful debut on December 16, recording 14 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks in an 88–86 victory over Hapoel Holon. Roberts played a key role in guiding Jerusalem to the 2018 Israeli League Final Four, where they were ultimately defeated by Hapoel Holon. Across a combined total of 32 EuroCup and Israeli League games that season, he posted averages of 10.4 points and seven rebounds per game.

2018–19 season

Roberts joined Science City Jena of the Basketball Bundesliga on January 25, 2019. Over the course of fifteen appearances, he averaged 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

2019–20 season

On July 3, 2019, Roberts signed with French club Élan Chalon. During his stint spanning twenty-two games, he averaged 7.7 points alongside 4.1 rebounds per contest.

2021

Between August and September of 2021, Roberts competed in eleven games for Indios de San Francisco de Macorís within the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, averaging 8.8 points and collecting 6.4 rebounds per game.

Roberts announced his retirement from professional basketball on December 27, 2021.

National team career

Roberts made his first appearance for the Dominican Republic national team in the year 2014 at the Central American and Caribbean Basketball Championship, where he contributed to earning a bronze medal.

He subsequently took part in both the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and the main event at the 2019 FIBA World Cup held in China. His final outing representing his country occurred during the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers.

Roberts' parents met while playing professionally in Portugal; Ronald Sr., who had a decade-long career spanning Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic after his collegiate tenure at Oklahoma, relocated their family from the Dominican Republic to Bayonne, New Jersey. Dania is employed as an accountant while Ronald Sr. works as a hospital security officer.

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