Robert Michael Archibald (29 March 1980 – 23 January 2020) was a Scottish professional basketball player. A 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) power forward / center from the University of Illinois, he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2002 NBA draft[2] with the third pick of the second round (32nd overall).
Career
Archibald graduated from Lafayette High School in 1998, along with MLB player Ryan Howard. Archibald's father Bobby was a player for Murray BC in Scotland and was capped several times for Scotland and Great Britain's national teams.[3]
NBA
After drafting him in the second round, the Memphis Grizzlies signed Archibald to a 2-year contract. After one season with the team, in which he played only 12 games, Archibald was traded with Brevin Knight and Cezary Trybański to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Bo Outlaw and Jake Tsakalidis.[4] On 26 December 2003 Archibald was traded again, this time to the Orlando Magic.[5] A week later he was traded, for the third time that season, to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Mengke Bateer and Remon van de Hare.[6] He played 30 games with the Raptors.
Archibald's final NBA game was on April 9, 2004, in a 66–74 loss to the Detroit Pistons where he recorded four rebounds but no points.
Archibald holds NBA career averages of 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He is the only Scotsman to play in the NBA.[1]
Europe
Archibald played four seasons in the Euroleague with Scavolini Pesaro, Joventut Badalona and two seasons with Unicaja Málaga.[7] In July 2011 he signed a one-year contract with CAI Zaragoza.[8] Archibald retired after the 2012 Summer Olympics in which he represented Great Britain.[9]
International
Archibald represented the Scottish national basketball team at junior level. He joined the Great Britain national team as it formed in 2007. He represented Great Britain 46 times[10] including EuroBasket 2009, EuroBasket 2011, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[11]
Death
Archibald died aged 39 in Barrington, Illinois.[12][13]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
Source[14]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Memphis | 12 | 0 | 6.0 | .300 | – | .389 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| 2003–04 | Phoenix | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | .000 | – | .500 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| 2003–04 | Orlando | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | .500 | – | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| 2003–04 | Toronto | 30 | 3 | 8.2 | .267 | – | .481 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.0 |
| Career | 44 | 3 | 7.5 | .283 | – | .429 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.2 |
References
- ^ a b P. A. Media (25 January 2020). "Robert Archibald, former NBA and Team GB basketball player, dies aged 39". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "Robert Archibald: Former GB and Scotland basketball player dies at 39". BBC News Online. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ Scot's pair Make GB Euro Basket Cut[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Suns acquire Knight, Archibald, Trybanski in Memphis trade". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Suns Trade Archibald to Orlando - RealGM Wiretap".
- ^ "Raptors trade Bateer to Orlando for Archibald - RealGM Wiretap".
- ^ "Unicaja adds size with Robert Archibald". Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. 31 August 2023.
- ^ "CAI, firmato Robert Archibald". Sportando. 9 July 2011.
- ^ "Robert Archibald will retire after London 2012". MVP. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
- ^ Hay, Katharine (25 January 2020). "'Our hearts are broken': Tributes pour in for Scottish NBA Robert Archibald who died aged 39". The Scotsman. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Riordan, Conor (25 January 2020). "Tributes as Paisley man and NBA star Robert Archibald dies aged 39". GlasgowLive. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Woods, Mark (24 January 2020). "ROBERT ARCHIBALD DIES, AGED 39". mvp247.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Obituary: Robert Archibald, basketball star who was the only Scot to play in the NBA". HeraldScotland. 16 February 2020.
- ^ "Robert Archibald". Basketball Reference. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
External links
- NBA Player Profile @ NBA.com
- Euroleague.net Profile
- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
- ACB Profile Archived 26 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
- Herald, Archibald on familiar territory for key game
- Scotland on Sunday, Archibald seeks new heights
