Robert Traylor

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Robert DeShaun "Tractor" Traylor (born February 1, 1977 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player.

Traylor was a McDonald's All-American the same year as Kevin Garnett and Vince Carter. He attended the University of Michigan. Standing 6 feet 7 inches and packing 325 pounds, he joined a formidable front court for the Wolverines that included Maurice Taylor and Maceo Baston. That year he broke a backboard while dunking in a game against Ball State and also broke his arm in a car accident while out with teammates and potential recruit Mateen Cleaves (who ended up attending Michigan State). Traylor helped lead the Wolverines to an NIT Championship in 1997. His junior year was his best, as he averaged 16.2 points and 10 rebounds while leading his team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a four seed.

Traylor was one of the former Michigan players whose ties to booster Ed Martin roiled the program. Martin, who died in 2003 at 69, pleaded guilty in 2002 to conspiracy to launder money and told federal prosecutors he took gambling money, combined it with other funds and lent $616,000 to Traylor, Chris Webber — who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons — and two other Wolverines players.^[1]

Due to NCAA violations connected to the case (principally the compromising of Traylor's amateur status), Michigan was not eligible for postseason play for two years, lost scholarships and was placed on probation. The school also forfeited every game in which Traylor played and scrubbed his records from its record book. Murray-Wright High School in Detroit, where Traylor played high school basketball, voluntarily forfeited its entire 1994-95 season (Traylor's senior season).

In 1999, he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, but infamously traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Pat Garrity and then-unproven German import, Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki would become an all-star and a cornerstone for the Dallas Mavericks.

His best years as a player were with the New Orleans Hornets where he was a solid contributor off the bench and a fan favorite in the city.

In the 2005 offseason he originally signed on with the New Jersey Nets but, due to his failing a physical examination, the deal was scrapped. It is well known that Traylor has battled obesity for years.

Traylor has played with several other teams, including two separate stints for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Currently, he signed a contract with Gestibérica Vigo from Spanish LEB-2 league for the remainder of the season.

Traylor pleaded guilty in federal court in Detroit on January 25, 2007 to a federal income tax charge, the result of his dealings with a notorious Detroit marijuana dealer (and Traylor's cousin) Quassand Lewis.^[2]

Under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Traylor faces the prospects of 8 to 14 months in prison when U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn sentences him in a few months.