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Sporting News


Former NBA and Michigan big man Robert "Tractor" Traylor was found dead today in his apartment in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, elnuevodia.com reports. Traylor’s death has been confirmed on the Facebook page of the Bayamón Cowboys, the Puerto Rican team with which Traylor was playing.

The presumed cause of death was a massive heart attack, according to elnuevodia.

Traylor was 34.

Traylor was drafted by the Mavericks and traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1998, and played for seven seasons in the NBA, also with the Hornets (both in Charlotte and New Orleans) and the Cavaliers.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Bucks reacted to the news.

"The entire Milwaukee Bucks organization is saddened by the news of Robert Traylor’s death. Robert was a fierce competitor on the court who helped the Bucks reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons in Milwaukee," the statement read. "Off the court he was a gentle giant, displaying his smile and care, especially toward young people through his involvement in school visits and his work with the Special Olympics clinic."

"Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends."

According to the Detroit Free Press, echoed the sentiments of the Bucks, saying Michigan was saddened by the big man's passing.

"Our sympathies go out to his family during this difficult time," Brandon added.

On Twitter, Indiana coach Tom Crean lamented the loss of the former Wolverine.

"We battled against him and he might have been the most time consuming and mind challenging matchup we ever faced and we as coaches weren't even playing," Crean wrote on Twitter. "He had great feet and hands and a very soft touch. He also wasn't nicknamed Tractor for nothing.

"In Milwaukee we lived one neighborhood apart and I would see him at the Bradley Center. I always saw him as a very gentle person with people who was very shy in public. Because of that shyness and gentle nature he was probably misunderstood and not respected like he could have been.

"As in most cases with people we don't know well we usually don't get a chance to tell people what they mean to us. Although I didn't know him well, he made me a better coach because you really had to have a plan to stop him. Rest in peace Robert and I hope God was in your Heart when it was your time to meet him."
 
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