Against all adversity, Terry Rozier has been able to make it to the National Basketball Association where he would definitely be aiming to use all the lemons that life has offered him in the past to motivate himself to one day sip some lemonade with the Larry O’Brien Trophy by his side.
The former Louisville student-athlete, who entered the league after two collegiate seasons, was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 2015 NBA Draft with the 16th overall pick.
Terry Rozier Biography, Age
Rozier, whose full name is Terry William Rozier III, was born to Gina Tucker and Terry Rozier on the 17th of March, 1994 in Youngstown, Ohio. He was however raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, attending Shaker Heights High School where he made a name for himself as a part of the school’s basketball team.
Terry Rozier’s displays on the court were not enough for him to attend college because he had poor grades. This meant he had to attend a college preparatory school, Hargrave Military Academy, where he was able to pick up his grades while also starring for the team on the court, earning the 2012 Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic MVP award. After Hargrave, Rozier headed off to attend the University of Louisville on a scholarship.
In his freshman year, Rozier played in 37 games and averaged 7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as he was named in the AAC All-Rookie Team. The following year, he earned a second-team All-ACC selection behind a team-high 17.1 points per game season. He further averaged 3.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, before declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft where he was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick.
Terry Rozier’s Family
Terry Rozier’s family has both been the source of his inspiration and tribulations on his journey to make it in the NBA. As a child, Rozier did not have any male influence in his life because his father has spent the better part of his whole life behind bars. When the young baller was two months old, his father was locked up for 8 years. This meant he was primarily raised by his mother who occasionally called on relatives to help with her son and his older half-sister; Tre’dasia, who has cerebral palsy.
By the time Rozier was 5 years of age, his father was released from prison and for the first time in both father and son’s lives, they got to spend some time with each other. The older Rozier’s presence at home however only lasted for about nine months before he was arrested and subsequently imprisoned for 13 years for his role in a robbery, kidnapping, and involuntary manslaughter case. This left Rozier’s mother with the responsibilities of raising her now three young children all by herself. While attempting to do so, she was faced with threats from acquaintances of her husband over his actions. This prompted her to ship off her children to her mother, Amanda Tucker, who resided in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
At this point, mama Tucker had custody of the children, including Terry Rozier, who grew very homesick and became so much of a trouble to her that she thought about sending him to a juvenile detention center or foster home. Despite all the frustration, he caused her, she stuck with him until he grew old enough to understand what was going on. Today, in addition to having a tattoo of his father’s face with the word “motivation” written above it, he has the names of his mother and grandmother tattooed on his forearms.
Career Stats
Terry Rozier spent a part of his rookie season with Boston’s G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, but still managed to make an impact his team. In the 2015-16 season, he played in 39 regular-season games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. In the 2016 playoffs, he averaged 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 5 games.
Rozier’s role with his side increased in his second season as he featured in 74 games, averaging 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. In the 2017 playoffs, he played in 17 games, averaging 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Rozier was finally growing into the player everyone thought he would be in the 2017-18 season. The point guard enjoyed a breakthrough season, recording his first triple-double in his first start for the team. He went on to end the season with an average of 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 80 appearances. In the 2018 playoffs, he averaged 16.5 points and 5.3 assists in 19 games.
Height
Terry Rozier is no way close to the height of an average NBA player as he measures at just 6 feet 2 inches. However, since speed, ball handling skills, situational awareness, and quickness are the primary requirements of a point guard, his height does not really matter, although it can sometimes be advantageous.
