Roberto Avila ( 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.
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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.