Rodney Rogers: 1971-2025

Cover photo: Rodney Rogers while at Wake Forest. Photo credit: North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Photo: Rodney Rogers of the New Jersey Nets goes up for a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Jermaine O’Neal in 2004. Photo credit: Darron Cummings, Associated Press.

The basketball family has lost another great one as Rodney Rogers passed away on Nov. 21 at the age of 54. 

Rogers, a native of Durham, N.C., was an alum of Hillside High School. In 1990, he was North Carolina Mr. Basketball, a McDonald’s All-American and 3rd team Parade All-American. He then went on to star at Wake Forest University for three seasons. 

At Wake Forest from 1990-93, Rogers was All-ACC in each season (1st team in 92 and 93), posting collegiate averages of 19.3 points on 57.9% from the field and 7.9 rebounds per game in 89 games. Rogers in 1993 was the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus 2nd team All-American that season. He was the 1991 ACC Rookie of the Year (16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds). In his senior season, he led the ACC in scoring at 21.2 points per game and averaged 7.4 rebounds per game. Rogers led the Demon Deacons to the Sweet 16 in 1993. He is one of seven players be named both ACC Freshman of the Year and ACC Player of the Year. 

Rogers was drafted 9th overall in 1993 and played 12 NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers. His best year scoring the ball as a pro came with the Clippers in 1997-98 when he averaged 15.1 points per game on 45.6% shooting (12.3 shots per game) in 32.9 minutes per game in a career-high 70 starts. He played all 82 games twice throughout his career and 80 or more games four times. 

With the Suns in 1999-00, Rogers was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, registering 13.8 points (48.6% on 10.7 shots) and 5.5 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game. The following season, also with the Suns, he averaged 12.2 points on 43.0% (10.7 attempts) in 26.6 minutes per game. He finished sixth in the 2000-01 Sixth Man of the Year voting. 

In his career, Rogers averaged 10.9 points on 45.1% shooting (9.2 attempts) in 25.3 minutes per game in 866 career games, 347 starts. He averaged 12.9 points (46.0%) in 26.7 minutes per game in 214 games with the Suns and put up 12.3 points (46.1%) in 29.1 minutes per game in 271 games with the Clippers.

Rogers was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. After retirement, Rogers worked as a machine operator for the Durham Police Works Department and had his own trucking business. He was paralyzed from the shoulders down in 2008 in an ATV accident. The Rodney Rogers Foundation was then created to support people who were also living with spinal cord injuries. The foundation helps families with those with spinal cord injuries through charity, science, and education. 

Another difficult loss for the NBA family. One of the best players in the history of the ACC and Wake Forest’s basketball program. RIP, Rodney Rogers.