David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed "the Admiral" for his service with the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, Robinson was a 10-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

, the 1995

NBA MVP The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...

, a two-time

NBA champion The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Con ...

(1999 and 2003), a two-time

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winner (1992, 1996), a two-time

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inductee (2009 for his individual career, 2010 as a member of the

1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team", was the first American Olympic team to feature active professional players from the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team has been described by some jou ...

), and a two-time

U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame The United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame is an honor roll of the top American Olympic and Paralympic athletes headquartered at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, opened in April 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Hall ...

inductee (2008 individually, 2009 as a member of the 1992 Olympic team). He was honored as one of the league's all-time players by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary (1996) and 75th Anniversary Teams (2021). He is widely considered one of the greatest

centers Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

in both college basketball and NBA history.

Early life

Robinson was born in

Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...

, the second child of Ambrose and Freda Robinson. Since Robinson's father was in the

, the family moved frequently. After his father retired from the Navy, the family settled in

Woodbridge, Virginia Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C.. Bounded by the Occoquan and Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the 2020 census. Woodbridge o ...

, where Robinson excelled in school and in most sports, except basketball. Robinson attended

Osbourn Park High School Osbourn Park High School is a Prince William County, Virginia public high school in a small county island between the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, southwest of Washington D.C. Osbourn Park serves the mid-part of the county. The co ...

Manassas, Virginia Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdi ...

, just outside

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, where Robinson's father was working as an engineer. Robinson was of average height for most of his childhood and teenage years, and stood only tall in his junior year of high school (age 16–17). But during his senior year (age 17–18) he experienced a large growth spurt and grew to . He had not played organized basketball or attended any basketball camps, but the school's basketball coach added him to the team, and Robinson earned all-area and all-district honors but generated little interest among college basketball coaches. Robinson graduated from Osbourn Park in 1983. He achieved a score of 1320 on the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schola ...

, and chose to attend the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

, where he would major in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and play on the basketball team. At the time the Naval Academy had a height restriction of for all midshipmen, and in the autumn when the new academic year began Robinson had grown to . Assuming that he was unlikely to grow much more, the academy's superintendent granted him a waiver. But Robinson continued growing, and by the start of his second year at the academy he had nearly reached his adult height of , which later prevented him from serving on any U.S. naval ships.

College basketball career and military service

Robinson is widely considered to be the best basketball player in Naval Academy history. He chose the jersey number 50 after his idol

Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...

. He began college with no expectations of playing in the NBA, but in Robinson's final two years he was a consensus All-American and won college basketball's two most prestigious player awards, the Naismith and Wooden Awards, as a Naval Academy first classman (senior). In 1986, Robinson led Navy, a number seven seed, within a game of the Final Four before falling to Duke in the East Regional Final. Robinson played his first three years for the Midshipmen under Paul Evans (who left Navy to coach at Pitt) and his senior season under former

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

interim Head Coach Pete Herrmann. Upon graduation, he became eligible for the

1987 NBA draft The 1987 NBA draft was held on June 22, 1987, in New York City. This draft included two future members of the NBA 50 Greatest Players list, David Robinson and Scottie Pippen, as well as fellow Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was named to the ...

and was selected by the

with the first overall pick; however, the Spurs had to wait two years because he had to fulfill his active-duty obligation with the Navy. Robinson considered leaving the academy after his second year, before incurring an obligation to serve on active duty. He decided to stay after discussing with the Superintendent the likelihood that his height would prevent him from serving at sea as an

unrestricted line officer An unrestricted line officer (shortened to URL officer) is a List of United States Naval officer designators, designator given to a commissioned officer of the line in the United States Navy, who is eligible for command at sea of the navy's warfi ...

, which would be detrimental to his naval career, and might make it impossible for him to receive a commission at all. As a compromise,

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

John Lehman John Francis Lehman Jr. (born September 14, 1942) is an American private equity investor and writer who served as Secretary of the Navy (1981–1987) in the Ronald Reagan administration where he promoted the creation of a 600-ship Navy. From 2003 ...

allowed Robinson to train for and receive a commission as a staff officer in the

Civil Engineer Corps The Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) is a staff corps of the United States Navy. CEC officers are professional engineers and architects, acquisitions specialists, and Seabee Combat Warfare Officers who qualify within Seabee units. They are responsib ...

. As a result, Robinson was commissioned in the Naval Reserve and was required to serve only an initial active-duty obligation of two years. After graduating from the Naval Academy, Robinson became a civil engineering officer at the

Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is a base of the United States Navy located adjacent to the city of St. Marys in Camden County, Georgia, on the North River in southeastern Georgia, and 38 miles (61 km) from Jacksonville, Florida. The Submari ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He was regularly featured in recruiting materials for the service. Despite the nickname "Admiral", Robinson's actual rank upon fulfilling his service commitment was

Lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is ...

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (1989–2003)

Rookie of the Year, DPOY award and scoring title (1989–1994)

Since he had not signed a contract, NBA regulations stated that Robinson could have reentered the draft after his naval service. Although there was speculation that he might choose not to sign with the Spurs, Robinson agreed to move to San Antonio for the 1989–90 season, but the Spurs agreed to pay him as much as the average of the salaries of the two highest-paid players in the league each year, or release him to free agency. The Spurs had spent the second half of the 1980s as an also-ran, bottoming out in 1988–89 season with a 21–61 record, the worst in franchise history at the time. While it was widely thought that the Spurs would become respectable again once Robinson arrived, no one expected what happened in his rookie season. Robinson led the Spurs to the greatest single-season turnaround in NBA history at the time (a record the Spurs themselves broke in 1997–98 season, after drafting

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

, which was then broken by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in the 2007–08 NBA season). The Spurs leaped to a record of 56–26 for a remarkable 35 game improvement. They advanced to the second round of the Western Conference

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

where they lost in seven games to the eventual conference champion

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. Following the 1989–90 season, he was unanimously named the

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...

, and subsequently

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

produced a game featuring him entitled ''

David Robinson's Supreme Court ''David Robinson Supreme Court'' (known in Japan as ) is a basketball video game released by Sega exclusively for the Sega Genesis in 1991. The game was endorsed by NBA player David Robinson but does not feature an NBA license and instead features ...

''. The Spurs made the playoffs seven more seasons in a row. In the 1991–92 season Robinson led the league in blocks and was named the

NBA Defensive Player of the Year The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswrite ...

. Robinson also made the 1992 US Olympic Dream Team that won the gold medal in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. During the 1993–94 season, he became locked in a duel for the NBA scoring title with

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

, scoring 71 points (breaking

George Gervin George Gervin ( ; born April 27, 1952), nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, ...

's single-game franchise record of 63) against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

to win it. In that season, Robinson averaged a career-high 29.8 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, career-high 4.8 assists per game and 3.3 blocks per game.

MVP title, playoff upsets and injury (1994–1998)

Robinson went on to win the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

trophy in 1995, and in 1996 he was named one of the

50 Greatest Players in NBA History The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...

. Still, from 1991 to 1996, Robinson was thwarted in his quest to claim the one prize that had eluded him: an NBA title. During that span the Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Warriors, Suns (twice), Jazz (twice), and Rockets. The loss against the Rockets was particularly painful for Robinson because it occurred in the Western Conference Finals with Robinson playing head-to-head against his chief rival,

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Ass ...

. By his own admission, Robinson was outplayed by Olajuwon in the series, their only meetings in post-season play. In a ''LIFE'' magazine story, he seemed perplexed. “Solve Hakeem?” said Robinson. “You don’t solve Hakeem.” Early in the 1997 season, Robinson's dreams of becoming a champion seemed to vanish when he hurt his back in the preseason. He finally returned in December, but six games later broke his foot in a home game against the Miami Heat, and ended up missing the rest of the regular season. As a result of the injury to Robinson and other key players (most notably

Sean Elliott Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at small forward in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the University of Arizona, where he had a standout career as ...

, who missed more than half the season), the Spurs finished the season with a dismal 20–62 record. However, his injury proved to be a blessing in disguise. Despite having only the third-worst record in the league, the Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery—and with it, the first pick in the next year's NBA draft. They used that pick to select

out of

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

, who was, after a few years, the final key to Robinson's quest for an NBA title.

Championship season (1998–1999)

Before the start of the 1998–99 season, the NBA owners and NBA commissioner

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of ...

locked out Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

the NBA Players' Association to force negotiations on a new

Collective Bargaining Agreement A collective agreement, collective labour agreement (CLA) or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a written contract negotiated through collective bargaining for employees by one or more trade unions with the management of a company (or with an ...

. This lockout lasted for 202 days, well into the regular NBA season, before an agreement was finally reached. After playing a truncated 50-game season, the Spurs finished with an NBA-best record of 37–13, giving them the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Spurs blitzed through the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs, beating the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, and

by a combined record of 11–1 to reach the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

for the first time ever. In the Finals, the combination of Robinson in the post and second-year

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

proved overpowering, and the Spurs beat the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in five games to become the first former

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

team to win an NBA title. Duncan was named Finals MVP. Robinson and Duncan were nicknamed "The Twin Towers".

Twilight years and second championship (1999–2003)

The later years of Robinson's career were plagued by back ailments. During the 1999–00 season, Robinson averaged 17.8 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game in 80 games. The Spurs made it to the playoffs as the fourth seed, but were defeated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs despite Robinson's 23.5 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. Robinson announced he would retire from basketball following the 2002–03 season. On June 15, 2003, in the finale of Robinson's career, the Spurs won another NBA title with an 88–77 victory over the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in Game 6 of the

2003 NBA Finals The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2002–03 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the Eastern Conference cham ...

. During this game, Robinson scored 13 points, as well as getting 17 rebounds. He and the year's regular season and NBA Finals MVP

shared ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' magazine's 2003

Sportsmen of the Year Since its inception in 1954, ''Sports Illustrated'' has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Amer ...

award.

Player profile

Robinson possessed tremendous mobility in the post, speed, and ball-handling, especially for a center. With good hands on both offense and defense, Robinson was nearly unstoppable on both sides of the floor, throwing down dunks and blocking shots. He was also noted for his strong midrange jumpshot. Robinson averaged 21.1 points per game, 10.7

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

per game, 3 blocks per game, and 2.5 assists per game over 987 games in his NBA career. He is also one of only a very small group of players to have scored over 20,000 career points in the NBA, as well as being one of only four players to have recorded a

quadruple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

(with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

on February 17, 1994). He is also one of only seven players to record 70 or more points in a single game. Robinson scored 71 points against the

on April 24, 1994. Only

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lake ...

(71 points),

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...

(70, 72, 73 twice, 78, 100 points), David Thompson (73 points),

Devin Booker Devin Armani Booker (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former basketball player Melvin Booker. After playing college basketba ...

(70 points),

Donovan Mitchell Donovan Mitchell Jr. (born September 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Spida", he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft wi ...

(71 points) and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

(81 points) have scored 70 or more points in a single game. Robinson is also noteworthy for his harmonious relationship with

. Sportswriter Chris Sheridan noted that it was rare for someone like Robinson to have welcomed and mentored Duncan as willingly as he did, and to have reduced his own role in the team's offense to accommodate a younger star.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1989–90 , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 81 , , 36.6 , , .531 , , .000 , , .732 , , 12.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , 3.9 , , 24.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990–91 , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 81 , , 37.7 , , .552 , , .143 , , .762 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 13.0* , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , 3.9 , , 25.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 68 , , 37.7 , , .551 , , .125 , , .701 , , 12.2 , , 2.7 , , 2.3 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 4.5* , , 23.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 39.2 , , .501 , , .176 , , .732 , , 11.7 , , 3.7 , , 1.5 , , 3.2 , , 23.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993–94 , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 40.5 , , .507 , , .345 , , .749 , , 10.7 , , 4.8 , , 1.7 , , 3.3 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 29.8* , - , style="text-align:left;", 1994–95 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 38.0 , , .530 , , .300 , , .774 , , 10.8 , , 2.9 , , 1.7 , , 3.2 , , 27.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 36.8 , , .516 , , .333 , , .761 , , 12.2 , , 3.0 , , 1.4 , , 3.3 , , 25.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 6 , , 24.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , .654 , , 8.5 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 73 , , 33.7 , , .511 , , .250 , , .735 , , 10.6 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , 2.6 , , 21.6 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , 49 , , 31.7 , , .509 , , .000 , , .658 , , 10.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , 2.4 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1999–00 , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 32.0 , , .512 , , .000 , , .726 , , 9.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 2.3 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2000–01 , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 29.6 , , .486 , , .000 , , .747 , , 8.6 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 2.5 , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 78 , , 29.5 , , .507 , , .000 , , .681 , , 8.3 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 1.8 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 64 , , 26.2 , , .469 , , .000 , , .710 , , 7.9 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 1.7 , , 8.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 987 , , 985 , , 34.7 , , .518 , , .250 , , .736 , , 10.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , 3.0 , , 21.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, All-Star , 10 , , 3 , , 18.4 , , .588 , , .000 , , .695 , , 6.2 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 14.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 37.5 , , .533 , , .000 , , .677 , , 12.0 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , 4.0 , , 24.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 41.5 , , .686 , , .000 , , .868 , , 13.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.5 , , 3.8 , , 25.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 42.1 , , .465 , , .000 , , .664 , , 12.6 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 3.6 , , 23.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 36.5 , , .411 , , .000 , , .741 , , 10.0 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , 2.5 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 15 , , 41.5 , , .446 , , .200 , , .812 , , 12.1 , , 3.1 , , 1.5 , , 2.6 , , 25.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 35.3 , , .516 , , .000 , , .667 , , 10.1 , , 2.4 , , 1.5 , , 2.5 , , 23.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 39.2 , , .425 , , .000 , , .635 , , 14.1 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , 3.3 , , 19.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 17 , , 35.3 , , .483 , , .000 , , .722 , , 9.9 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , 2.4 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 38.8 , , .373 , , .000 , , .762 , , 13.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.8 , , 3.0 , , 23.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 13 , , 31.5 , , .472 , , .000 , , .695 , , 11.8 , , 1.7 , , 1.3 , , 2.4 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 20.3 , , .474 , , .000 , , .000 , , 5.8 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .8 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 23 , , 23.4 , , .542 , , .000 , , .667 , , 6.6 , , .9 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , 7.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 123 , , 123 , , 34.3 , , .479 , , .100 , , .708 , , 10.6 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 2.5 , , 18.1

National team career

David Robinson was a member of the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

at the

1986 FIBA World Championship The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was held at the ...

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas c ...

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

, and

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. He won the gold medal at all tournaments except the 1987 Pan Am Games, where he won a silver medal, and the 1988 Summer Olympics, where he won a bronze medal.

Personal life

Robinson married Valerie Hoggatt in 1991. They have three sons, David Jr., Corey, and Justin.

Corey Corey is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a masculine version of name Cora, which has Greek origins and is the maiden name of the goddess Persephone. The name also can have origins from the Gaelic word ''coire'', which means "in a caul ...

attended Notre Dame and was a wide receiver on the

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

before ending his playing career in 2016 on medical advice due to multiple

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

s prior to what would have been his senior season. He was very active on campus in his final undergraduate year, having been elected student body president in February 2016 for the 2016–17 school year.

Justin Justin may refer to: People * Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin * Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire * Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...

, a 6'8" (2.03 m) forward in basketball and a two-time all-state selection in Texas, began attending

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

in August 2015. He was initially recruited to the Duke team as a "preferred

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music * ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992 *''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...

" with the opportunity to eventually earn a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

, but was placed on scholarship before his arrival at Duke. On September 18, 2020, Mornar Bar of Erste Liga announced that they had signed Justin, signaling the start to his professional basketball career. Robinson became a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

on June 8, 1991, after being encouraged to read the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. In 2001, Robinson founded and funded the $9 million

Carver Academy IDEA Carver Academy is a public charter school located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Initially established as a Christian private school, Carver Academy was founded by David Robinson, former NBA basketball player with the San Antonio Spurs The Sa ...

in San Antonio, a non-profit private school named for

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the ea ...

to provide more opportunities for inner-city children. In 2012, the school became a public charter school and its name changed to IDEA Carver. Robinson continues to be a very active participant in the school's day-to-day activities. In 2011, Robinson earned a Master of Arts in Administration (with concentration in organizational development) from the

University of the Incarnate Word The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is a private, Catholic university with its main campus in San Antonio and Alamo Heights, Texas. Founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the university's main campus is located o ...

to better "understand how businesses work and how to build them." Beyond his founding of Carver Academy, Robinson is well known as a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. Robinson and business partner Daniel Bassichis donate 10 percent of their profits to charitable causes. The winner of the

NBA Community Assist Award The National Basketball Association awards the Community Assist Award for community engagement, philanthropic activity, and charity work. It is a monthly award, but season and off-season awards have also been given. In some cases multiple awards h ...

is presented with the David Robinson Plaque.

Other ventures

In 2008, Robinson partnered with Daniel Bassichis, formerly of

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

and a board member of The Carver Academy, to form Admiral Capital Group. Admiral Capital Group is a private equity firm whose mission is to invest in opportunities that can provide both financial and social returns. Robinson's primary motivation in starting Admiral Capital was to create a source of additional financial support for The Carver Academy. Its portfolio is worth more than $100 million and includes nine upscale hotels and office buildings across the U.S. as well as Centerplate, one of the largest hospitality companies in the world. Admiral Capital Group also partnered with Living Cities to form the Admiral Center, a non-profit created to support other athletes and entertainers with their philanthropic initiatives. Robinson is also co-owner of a

Jaguar Land Rover Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover Limited (also known as JLR), and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer which produces luxury vehicles and sport utility vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover is a ...

Dealership in

San Juan, Texas San Juan is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 35,294, up from 33,856 in 2010. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas. The city is known fo ...

Awards and honors

NBA *Two-time NBA Champion *1995 NBA MVP *1992 NBA Defensive Player of the Year *1990 NBA Rookie of the Year *1990

NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

*Four-time All-NBA First Team *Four-time All-Defensive First Team *10-time NBA All-Star *One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History *1994 NBA Scoring Champion *Five-time

IBM Award The IBM Award was an award given out to National Basketball Association players from 1984 to 2002. The award was sponsored and calculated by technology company IBM and was determined by a computer formula, which measured a player's statistical ...

winner *2001

NBA Sportsmanship Award The NBA Sportsmanship Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to a player who most "exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court with ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity." It is directly analogous to the ...

*2008

NBA Shooting Stars The Shooting Stars competition was a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest during NBA All-Star Weekend, All-Star Weekend that was held on the Saturday before the NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game. It involved a current NBA player, a WNBA pla ...

champion *Number 50 retired by the San Antonio Spurs *2021 Elected to the

NBA 75th Anniversary Team The NBA 75th Anniversary Team, also referred to as the NBA 75, was chosen in 2021 to honor the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the fourth and most recent anniversary team in the league. S ...

. USA Basketball *Two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner (

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

) *Olympic Bronze Medal winner (

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

) *Gold Medal at the

. NCAA *2012 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award *

Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award The Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award is presented annually to a member of the college or professional basketball community who lives out qualities exemplified by Coach Wooden: outstanding character, integrity, and leadership on the court, in the ...

(2004) Halls of Fame *

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

**class of 2009 – individual **class of 2010 – as a member of the "Dream Team" *

**class of 2008 – individual **class of 2009 – as a member of the "Dream Team" *

FIBA Hall of Fame The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Samar ...

**class of 2013 - individual **class of 2017 - as a member of the "Dream Team" Media * 2003 ''Sports Illustrated'' Sportsman of the Year *''In the Classroom with David Robinson'' video made for distribution across American public schools in collaboration with public television producersArchived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Other *Golden Plate Award,

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

(1987)

Charitable efforts

In addition to his lengthy NBA career, Robinson is also noted for his charitable work. In 1991, Robinson visited with fifth-graders at Gates Elementary School in

and challenged them to finish school and go to college. He offered a $2,000 scholarship to everyone who did. In 1998, proving even better than his word, Robinson awarded $8,000 to each of those students who had completed his challenge. In perhaps his greatest civic and charitable achievement, David and his wife, Valerie, founded the

in San Antonio, which opened its doors in September 2001. To date, the Robinsons have donated more than $11 million to the school. In March 2003, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to charity, the NBA renamed its award for outstanding charitable efforts in honor of Robinson. Winners of the NBA's Community Assist Award receive the ''David Robinson Plaque'', with the inscription "Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece." The award is given out monthly by the league to recognize players for their charitable efforts. Robinson is also the recipient of the

William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership The William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership is an annual award given by the William E. Simon Foundation in honor of its founder, former Secretary of the Treasury and financier William E. Simon, and administered by the Philanthropy Ro ...

. In 2011, in recognition of his philanthropic efforts with the Carver Academy, Robinson received the Children's Champion Award from the charitable organization

Children's Hunger Fund Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) is a Christian non-profit organization that resources and empowers local churches in the United States and around the world to meet the needs of their impoverished community members. CHF's mission is to "deliver hope ...

. In 2018, Robinson became a member of the V Foundation for Cancer Research's board of directors.

References

External links

*
David Robinson @ NBA.com/History
*198
Oscar Robertson TrophyAdmiral Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, David 1965 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people 1986 FIBA World Championship players African-American basketball players African-American Christians All-American college men's basketball players American Christians American men's basketball players Basketball players from Florida Basketball players from San Antonio Basketball players from Virginia Basketball players at the 1987 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Centers (basketball) Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games FIBA Hall of Fame inductees FIBA World Championship-winning players Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Navy Midshipmen men's basketball players Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in basketball Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Osbourn Park High School alumni Pan American Games medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Key West, Florida People from Manassas, Virginia People from Woodbridge, Virginia San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Virginia Beach, Virginia United States men's national basketball team players United States Navy officers United States Navy reservists University of the Incarnate Word alumni

Early life

College basketball career and military service

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (1989–2003)

Rookie of the Year, DPOY award and scoring title (1989–1994)

MVP title, playoff upsets and injury (1994–1998)

Championship season (1998–1999)

Twilight years and second championship (1999–2003)

Player profile

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

National team career

Personal life

Other ventures

Awards and honors

Charitable efforts

See also

NBA

College

References

External links