Rick Robey

Frederick Robert Robey, born January 30, 1956, in Coral Gables, Florida, is an American former college and professional basketball player. Standing 6'11", he played center in the National Basketball Association for the Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics, and the Phoenix Suns.

Robey's family moved frequently during his childhood. He lived in Coral Gables and Jacksonville, Florida until he was about five, then in Memphis, Tennessee until he was eight and a half, in Alaska until he was eleven, and in New Orleans thereafter. The family spent two years in Kodiak, Alaska, where his father, Fred Robey, a civilian employee of the U.S. Defense Investigative Service, worked at the Kodiak Naval Operating Base.

His interest in basketball began early, around the age of five or six. His father recalled that the boy would ask him to throw the ball and to go out and shoot baskets. At the naval station, Robey played in the gymnasium every day, competing against much older sailors and marines.