Education
He then chose local Fresno State, where as a freshman in the 2012-2013 season he averaged 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
He then chose local Fresno State, where as a freshman in the 2012-2013 season he averaged 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
He played college basketball for Fresno State and the University of Washington before going undrafted in the 2015 National Basketball Association draft. Upshaw played high school basketball for San Joaquin Memorial High School in his hometown of Fresno, California. A top 100 recruit, he originally committed to play college basketball for Kansas State University, but was released from his commitment when Wildcats head coach Frank Martin left for another job.
In the summer after his freshman season, Upshaw was dismissed from the Bulldogs for violations of team rules.
The 7"0" center then transferred to Washington. After sitting out the 2013-2014 season per National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer rules, he played 19 games for the Huskies, averaging 10.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game.
On January 26, 2015, Upshaw was dismissed from the Washington program, again for violations of team rules. He was leading the country in blocked shots per game at the time of his dismissal and had led the Huskies in rebounding.
Upshaw declared his eligibility for the 2015 National Basketball Association draft rather than transfer to another college program
At the National Basketball Association Draft combine, Upshaw measured as one of the tallest players in attendance (an even seven feet tall in shoes) with the longest standing reach and wingspan. He was projected as a late first-round or early second-round selection, but went undrafted, likely due to his personal issues. In July 2015, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2015 National Basketball Association Summer League where he averaged a mere 1.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
Upshaw felt there was more in him than his Summer League showing, and after dropping 20 pounds, he signed with the Lakers for training camp on September 14.
He was later waived by the Lakers on October 20 after appearing in four preseason games. On October 31, he was acquired by the Los Angeles Doctorate-Fenders of the National Basketball Association Development League as an affiliate player of the Lakers.
Upshaw received consistent minutes for the Doctorate-Fenders throughout the season before losing his spot in the rotation in late February 2016. On March 11, 2016, his contract was terminated by the Doctorate-League for violating the league"s anti-drug program
In 28 games (two starts) for the Doctorate-Fenders in 2015-2016, he averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 15.6 minutes per game.