Unless he were making a comeback to the NBA, it was probably best that the sports world hadn’t heard from Robert Tractor Traylor in quite some time. It’s with sadness that we pass along a report from Puerto Rico saying the former Michigan basketball star has died at the age of 34 after suffering a heart attack.
Traylor was a star player at Michigan, known best for his large size. He was 6’8″ and over 300 pounds, and he averaged over 16 points and 10 rebounds per game his junior season. After three years at Michigan he left for the NBA and became the sixth overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1998 NBA draft. Tractor was actually traded to the Bucks for Dirk Nowitzki and Pat Garritty, turning out to be one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. Traylor also played for the Cavs and Hornets, never averaging more than 5.5 points per game in a season. He had been playing around the world in Turkey, Italy, and most recently Puerto Rico.
Traylor got into some trouble a few years ago for money laundering stemming from a transaction he made to help a drug dealing cousin. We offer condolences to his friends, family, and teammates during this sad time.
