Juan Roca was a successful Cuban basketball player of the 1970s. Roca’s first success came at the 1971 Pan American Games where the team won the bronze medal. The following year, the Cuban team won another bronze, this time at the 1972 München Olympics. Roca was also part of the Cuban team that finished in seventh place at the 1976 Montréal Olympics. At the 1974 and 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games, Roca won gold and silver, respectively.
After retiring from basketball, Roca remained actively linked to sports, including serving in the National Commission. His son Alaín played volleyball for Cuba at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.