Best league finish
Menu
Player profile · DAL
Roy Tarpley
Roy Tarpley stats, teams and career impact
#1004 all-timeCareer averages · 12.6 PPG · 10.0 RPG · 1.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Dallas Mavericks
- Height / weight
- 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) · 245 lb (111 kg)
- Born
- November 28, 1964
- Died
- January 9, 2015 (50 yrs old)
- College
- Michigan
- NBA seasons
- 6 seasons · 1986–87 to 1994–95
Career summaryRoy Tarpley was a power forward who played 6 NBA seasons, from 1986–87 through 1994–95.
- Career PPG
- 12.6
- Career RPG
- 10.0
- Career APG
- 1.0
- #64 in 1987–88
- #1004 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Roy Tarpley ranks #1004 all time
Roy Tarpley ranks #1004 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #63.0. His full-career value ranks #971, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
280 games · Career Value Rank #971
NBA honorsSixth ManContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Roy Tarpley with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Mo Bamba Similar career path
- Glen Gondrezick Similar career path
- Jonathan Isaac Similar career path
- Lew Hitch Similar career path
- Paul Griffin Similar career path
- Coby Dietrick Similar career path
- Reggie Lewis Same-era comparison
- Otis Smith Same-era comparison
- Dražen Petrović Same-era comparison
- Jim Les Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Dallas Mavericks
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 48.3%FG%
- Three-point
- 17.6%3P%
- Free throw
- 74.4%FT%
280 career games · 7,476 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Roy Tarpley stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1994–95 | 12.6 | 8.2 | 1.1 | +0.32 | DAL | 55 | 1 | 24.6 | 47.9% | 27.8% | 83.6% | #107 | 62.0 |
| 1990–91 | 20.4 | 11.0 | 2.4 | +0.01 | DAL | 5 | 5 | 34.2 | 54.4% | 0.0% | 88.9% | — | 6.8 |
| 1989–90 | 16.8 | 13.1 | 1.5 | +0.12 | DAL | 45 | 35 | 36.6 | 45.1% | 0.0% | 75.6% | #103 | 68.8 |
| 1988–89 | 17.3 | 11.5 | 0.9 | +2.69 | DAL | 19 | 6 | 31.1 | 54.1% | 0.0% | 68.8% | #22 | 55.4 |
| 1987–88 | 13.5 | 11.8 | 1.1 | +0.80 | DAL | 81 | 9 | 28.5 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 74.0% | #64 | 130.4 |
| 1986–87 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 0.7 | -1.79 | DAL | 75 | 1 | 18.7 | 46.7% | 33.3% | 67.6% | #168 | 6.0 |
| Career | 12.6 | 10.0 | 1.0 | — | DAL | 280 | — | 26.7 | 48.3% | 17.6% | 74.4% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
95.1 composite · lower is better
92.8 average league finish
329 total value
Career standing
How Roy Tarpley ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score95.1
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 5
- All-time rank
- #1004
Strongest seasons
Every season
Roy Tarpley advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1994–95Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 30 | 55 | 1,354 | +0.32 | 65.7 | #107 | 62.0 | 60th | Broad |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 26 | 5 | 171 | +0.01 | — | — | 6.8 | — | Limited |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 25 | 45 | 1,648 | +0.12 | 64.5 | #103 | 68.8 | 60th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 24 | 19 | 591 | +2.69 | 92.0 | #22 | 55.4 | 54th | Standard |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 23 | 81 | 2,307 | +0.80 | 74.8 | #64 | 130.4 | 78th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 22 | 75 | 1,405 | -1.79 | 34.8 | #168 | 6.0 | 35th | Broad |
Career movement
Roy Tarpley's career impact by season
Peak +2.69 in 1988–89 · 6 seasons · 7,476 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
—’92
—’93
—’94
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Roy TarpleyMo Bamba
| NBA season | Roy Tarpley | Mo Bamba |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -1.8 | -0.4 |
| 2 | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| 3 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| 4 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| 5 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| 6 | 0.3 | -0.5 |
| 7 | Did not play | -2.1 |
| 8 | Did not play | -11.3 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Roy Tarpley
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
C · All-Time Career #1114
Mo Bamba
90career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1988–89 ↔ 2020–21SF · All-Time Career #763Glen Gondrezick
90career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1988–89 ↔ 1979–80PF · All-Time Career #1152Jonathan Isaac
90career similarity score
93/100 closest-season score · 1988–89 ↔ 2023–24Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →