Robbie Avila
American basketball player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roberto Avila[pronunciation?] (born September 10, 2003) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Indiana State Sycamores and Saint Louis Billikens.
Avila with Indiana State in 2024 | |
| Los Angeles Lakers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 10, 2003 Oak Forest, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Oak Forest (Oak Forest, Illinois) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Career highlights | |
| |
High school career
Avila attended Oak Forest High School in Oak Forest, Illinois.[1][2] As a junior, Avila averaged 25.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.[3] In his final season as a senior, he averaged 23.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and two blocks, leading Oak Forest to a 25–8 record and becoming the school's all-time leading scorer.[4]
Recruiting
Avila was ranked as the sixth-best player in the state of Illinois and the 54th-best power forward in the country according to 247Sports.[5] He committed to play college basketball at Indiana State University over offers from Appalachian State, Bradley, Loyola Chicago, Richmond, and Southern Illinois.[3]
College career
Indiana State
As a freshman, Avila averaged 10.7 points and four rebounds, being named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.[6] Avila began the next season averaging 16.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 6.6 rebounds through the first ten games of the season, including a 27-point, eight rebound, and eight assist performance against Rice in a 103–88 victory.[7][8] On January 24, 2024, he was named the conference player of the week after averaging 22 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists across a span of two games.[9] Avila scored a career-high 35 points in an 85–67 win over Evansville on February 28, 2024.[10][11] He finished his sophomore season averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, helping lead Indiana State to a 32–7 record and an appearance in the NIT final.[12] On April 9, 2024, Avila announced he was entering the transfer portal.[13]
Saint Louis
On April 20, 2024, Avila announced his decision to transfer to Saint Louis, following his former Sycamores head coach Josh Schertz.[14][15]
On November 4, 2024, Avila was helped off the court late in his team's season-opening 85-78 loss to Santa Clara University, due to a right ankle injury. He drove to the rim and jumped to pass the ball but landed awkwardly and twisted his ankle.[16]
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2026 NBA draft, Avila signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on June 25, 2026.[17]
Personal life
Due to similarities in the playstyles of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Avila has been nicknamed the "College Jokić".[18][19] Furthermore, Kentucky Wildcats talk radio host Matt Jones gave Avila the nickname "Cream Abdul-Jabbar".[20] Avila's other nicknames include "Larry Nerd", "Larry Blurred", "Steph Blurry", "Milk Chamberlain", "Shaquille Oatmeal", "Kevin McPale", "Rob Wave", and "Error 404: Puberty Not Found". These nicknames were bestowed to Avila by fans, teammates, and users on Twitter, due to Avila being white and wearing protective goggles.[21][22][23]
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 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Indiana State | 34 | 29 | 21.3 | .540 | .337 | .705 | 4.0 | 1.6 | .7 | .4 | 10.7 |
| 2023–24 | Indiana State | 37 | 37 | 31.2 | .536 | .394 | .808 | 6.6 | 4.1 | .7 | .6 | 17.4 |
| 2024–25 | Saint Louis | 31 | 31 | 34.0 | .492 | .359 | .750 | 6.9 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .8 | 17.3 |
| 2025–26 | Saint Louis | 35 | 35 | 26.4 | .497 | .410 | .803 | 4.5 | 4.1 | .6 | .5 | 12.8 |
| Career | 137 | 132 | 28.2 | .516 | .379 | .773 | 5.5 | 3.5 | .8 | .6 | 14.5 | |