(ThyBlackMan.com) “One for the brothers who aren’t here.”
Saying these words is always bittersweet, especially when applied to young men who have not reached their 35th birthday, but sometimes life is that way.
We cannot control when a life will be taken from us, but we can control how we respond to a person’s legacy, and that is why Robert Traylor’s life must be celebrated.
News stories told us that Traylor was found dead on May 11 in his apartment in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. The cause of death was reported to be a heart 
attack. As readers go deeper into these articles, they will find descriptions of Traylor’s seven-year NBA career. They also are likely to find information about his three-year odyssey—on and off the court—at the University of Michigan.
However, any of those reports that do not mention people like the late Jessie Carter, or Robert Smith, or the late George “Baby” Duncan, are clearly articles that do not begin to tell the true story of Robert Traylor and what he meant to those who held him dear in the city of Detroit.
Make no mistake about it, Robert Traylor was a product of Detroit, and that is why he could never truly be a “Tractor,” although the national media was fond of calling him by this nickname because of his 6-foot-8, 300-pound exterior.
Born in the automobile capital of the world, where his beloved grandmother, Carter, nurtured him, Traylor became a household name among the city’s hoop junkies when he burst on the scene at Detroit Murray Wright High School. At Murray Wright, he was coached and mentored by men of high character, first Duncan and then Smith, who taught Traylor the proper way to be an athlete and young man on the court.
In the winter of 1994, I watched from the stands at Detroit’s fabled Cobo Arena as Traylor led an upstart Murray Wright team to a Public School League title as a junior, en route to a state championship. Watching Traylor do his thing, I made up my mind that I would not give up on my dream to be a journalist, because I was witnessing the type of story that I desperately wanted to tell.
A year later, I was still a long way from being a big-time journalist, but I had found employment at the Detroit Free Press and had an opportunity to speak with Traylor briefly on two occasions. And both times he did not disappoint, as he conveyed the same joy for his sport and gentlemanly manner that he displayed on the court.
I would continue to root for the gentle big man with the same fervor as his basketball journey continued in Ann Arbor and then the NBA. However, Traylor’s points and rebounds and other statistical data hardly mattered anymore, because I had become a fan of Robert Traylor the person, not the player. I never missed an opportunity to watch one of his games on the tube, but when I watched, I looked to see if Big Rob was still playing with the same heart, spirit and dignity that endeared him to the hometown folks. Sure enough, Traylor never disappointed, which filled me with a sense of pride because he was proof that Detroit had produced another quality product. And if there were some flaws, they all could be overcome with love and support from those who knew the young man best.
Murray Wright, Traylor’s old high school, is closed now but alums from the school remain a proud group. As they like to say: “If it ain’t Murray, it ain’t Right (Wright).” Make no mistake about it, there were many things right about Robert Traylor, and that is why his life must be celebrated.
Staff Writer; Scott Talley
This talented journalist is owner of a public relations firm; Scott Talley & Associates, Inc….
