Roy James Tarpley Jr. (November 28, 1964 – January 9, 2015) was an American professional basketball player.

[3][4] In his senior season Tarpley set the school record for most blocked shots in a game against Florida Southern.

[3] Tarpley finished his college career posting averages of 13.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

[1] In 1986, Tarpley was selected by the Dallas Mavericks, in the first round, with the seventh pick of the NBA draft.

[7] The following season, on November 9, 1988, Tarpley scored a career high 35 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 111–103 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

[citation needed] Tarpley returned to the Mavericks briefly in 1994, but was then permanently banned from the NBA in December 1995, for using alcohol and violating the terms of a court-imposed personal aftercare program.

[citation needed] Tarpley played with the Michigan Mayhem of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) during part of the 2005–2006 season before suffering a season-ending hand injury.