Robbie Avila
 Avila with Indiana State in 2024 | |
| Saint Louis Billikens | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 10, 2003 Oak Forest, Illinois, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Oak Forest (Oak Forest, Illinois) |
| College |
|
| Career highlights | |
| |
Roberto Avila (/ˈɑːvɪlə/ AH-vil-ə) (born September 10, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Saint Louis Billikens of the Atlantic 10 Conference. He previously played for the Indiana State Sycamores. Avila was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2026.
High school career
Avila attended Oak Forest High School in Oak Forest, Illinois. As a junior, Avila averaged 25.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. In his final season as a senior, he averaged 23.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and two blocks, leading Oak Forest to a 25–8 record and becoming the school's all-time leading scorer.
Recruiting
Avila was ranked as the sixth-best player in the state of Illinois and the 54th-best power forward in the country according to 247Sports. He committed to play college basketball at Indiana State University over offers from Appalachian State, Bradley, Loyola Chicago, Richmond, and Southern Illinois.
College career
Indiana State
As a freshman for the Indiana State Sycamores, Avila averaged 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds, and was selected to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team. He began the next season averaging 16.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 6.6 rebounds through the first ten games of the season, including a 27-point, eight rebound, and eight assist performance against Rice in a 103–88 victory. On January 24, 2024, he was named the conference player of the week after averaging 22 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists across a span of two games. Avila scored a career-high 35 points in an 85–67 win over Evansville on February 28, 2024. He finished his sophomore season averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, helping lead Indiana State to a 32–7 record and an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) final. On April 9, 2024, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Saint Louis
On April 20, 2024, Avila transferred to play for the Saint Louis Billikens, following Indiana State head coach Josh Schertz. On November 4, Avila injured his ankle in his debut, and missed three weeks. In October 2026, Avila returned to Saint Louis after filing a lawsuit against the NCAA and being granted a fifth season of eligibility.
Professional career
After going unselected in the 2026 NBA draft, Avila signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on June 25, 2026.
Personal life
Due to similarities in the playstyles of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Avila has been nicknamed the "College Jokić". Furthermore, Kentucky Wildcats talk radio host Matt Jones gave Avila the nickname "Cream Abdul-Jabbar". Avila's other nicknames include "Larry Nerd", "Larry Blurred", "Steph Blurry", "Milk Chamberlain", "Kevin Duranch", "Shaquille Oatmeal", "Kevin McPale", "Rob Wave", "Nikola Yogurt", and "Charles Barley". These nicknames were bestowed to Avila by fans, teammates, and users on Twitter, due to Avila being white and wearing protective goggles. Avila is of Mexican descent through his father.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Indiana State | 34 | 29 | 21.3 | .540 | .337 | .705 | 4.0 | 1.6 | .7 | .4 | 10.7 |
| 2023–24 | Indiana State | 37 | 37 | 31.2 | .536 | .394 | .808 | 6.6 | 4.1 | .7 | .6 | 17.4 |
| 2024–25 | Saint Louis | 31 | 31 | 34.0 | .492 | .359 | .750 | 6.9 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .8 | 17.3 |
| 2025–26 | Saint Louis | 35 | 35 | 26.4 | .497 | .410 | .803 | 4.5 | 4.1 | .6 | .5 | 12.8 |
| Career | 137 | 132 | 28.2 | .516 | .379 | .773 | 5.5 | 3.5 | .8 | .6 | 14.5 | |
References
- ↑ "How to pronounce Avila in English". SayItVid. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
Pronunciation: /ˈɑːvɪlə/
- ↑ Terry, Jermont (December 20, 2023). "Oak Forest grad uses his name, image, and likeness proceeds to give back - CBS Chicago". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ "It's an all-around Robbie Avila. He shoots. He scores. But the Indiana State recruit also defends, rebounds and blocks shots for Oak Forest". Chicago Tribune. December 1, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- 1 2 "'We know he's going to be Robbie': Avila enters senior year at Oak Forest with college recruitment heating up". Chicago Tribune. August 3, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ Golden, Todd Aaron (October 23, 2021). "New ISU basketball commit Avila keeps Chicago pipeline flowing". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ "'It's An Amazing Feeling': Oak Forest's Avila Gives Back To School". Oak Forest, IL Patch. December 27, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ Tribune-Star, Hunter Tickel | (October 19, 2023). "ISU to lean on seasoned sophomore Avila". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Robbie Avila's 27 lead Indiana State over Rice 103-88". Indianapolis News. November 22, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ "'The College Jokic.' Indiana State's goggles-wearing Robbie Avila an unexpected hoops star". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Avila, Barnes earn conference player of the week honors". Herald Bulletin. January 23, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ↑ Tickel, Hunter (February 28, 2024). "Avila activated: Forward picks apart Aces in painted area". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ↑ "Robbie Avila scores career-high 35 points, Indiana State knocks off Evansville". WRTV Indianapolis. February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ↑ "Indiana State's Robbie Avila consoled by Seton Hall's Shaheen Holloway after NIT championship loss". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ↑ "Indiana State star Robbie Avila enters transfer portal". TSN. April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Robbie Avila following Josh Schertz, transferring to Saint Louis". wthr.com. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ↑ "Indiana St. star Avila follows coach to Saint Louis". ESPN.com. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ↑ "SLU star Avila helped off late with ankle injury". ESPN.com. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Robbie Avila earns 5th year via restraining order to return to Saint Louis basketball, per reports". USA Today.
- ↑ "The Lakers sign "Cream Abdul-Jabbar," as Robbie Avila gets to write his own story". Marca.com. June 24, 2026. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ Yusuf, Farouk (January 24, 2024). ""I try to model after him": Indiana State center Robbie Avila makes bold comparisons with Nikola Jokic ahead of UIC clash". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Who is the Indiana State basketball player with goggles? What you should know about Robbie Avila". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ↑ Libit, Daniel (March 9, 2024). "Indiana State Working to Raise NIL Money to Keep Its Hoop Dream Alive". Sportico. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ↑ Duncan, Kameron (February 29, 2024). "'Cream Abdul-Jabbar' Is Everyone's Favorite College Basketball Player". The Spun: What's Trending In The Sports World Today. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ↑ Diamond, Robert O’Connell and Jared. "Basketball's Newest Star Wears Rec Specs and Goes by 'Cream Abdul-Jabbar'". WSJ. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Sycamore team enjoys all Robbie Avila's nicknames". WTHI-TV. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ↑ Noh, Stephen (March 8, 2024). "Who is Robbie Avila? Meet Indiana State's 'Cream Abdul-Jabbar' who is going viral at Larry Bird's old school". The Sporting News. Retrieved April 4, 2024.