David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed "the Admiral" for his service with the U.S. Navy, Robinson was a 10-time NBA All-Star, the 1995 NBA MVP, 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 Olympic Gold Medal winner (1992, 1996), a two-time

Naismith Memorial 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 pres ...

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 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 U.S. Navy, the family moved frequently. After his father retired from the Navy, the family settled in Woodbridge, Virginia, where Robinson excelled in school and in most sports, except basketball. Robinson attended Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., 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, and chose to attend the United States 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. 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 interim Head Coach

Pete Herrmann Pete Herrmann (born August 27, 1948) is an American retired basketball coach. He served as the head basketball coach at the United States Naval Academy from 1986 to 1992 and Young Harris College from 2010 to 2018. He was also the interim head men' ...

. 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 San Antonio Spurs 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, 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 John Lehman allowed Robinson to train for and receive a commission as a staff officer in the Civil Engineer Corps. 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 in Georgia. 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).

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, 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 where they lost in seven games to the eventual conference champion Portland Trail Blazers. Following the 1989–90 season, he was unanimously named the NBA Rookie of the Year, 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''. 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. Robinson also made the 1992 US Olympic Dream Team that won the gold medal in Barcelona. 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's single-game franchise record of 63) against the Los Angeles Clippers 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 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, 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 Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest University, 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

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. 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,

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 Portland Trail Blazers 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 Tim Duncan 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 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 Tim Duncan shared '' Sports Illustrated'' 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 (with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against the Detroit Pistons 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 Los Angeles Clippers on April 24, 1994. Only Elgin Baylor (71 points), Wilt Chamberlain (70, 72, 73 twice, 78, 100 points), David Thompson (73 points), Devin Booker (70 points), Donovan Mitchell (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 Tim Duncan. 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 , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

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

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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;", San Antonio , 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 cau ...

attended

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

and was a wide receiver on the football team 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, a 6'8" (2.03 m) forward in basketball and a two-time all-state selection in Texas, began attending Duke 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, but was placed on scholarship before his arrival at Duke. On September 18, 2020, Mornar Bar of

Erste Liga In sports, 1. Liga, 1. liga, I Liga or Erste Liga may refer to: Association football * 1. Bundesliga, football league in Germany * Latvian First League, (1. līga), football league in Latvia * I liga, football league in Poland * I liga (women's ...

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. 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 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 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 Dealership in San Juan, Texas.

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 *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 winner *2001 NBA Sportsmanship Award *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 (2004) Halls of Fame * Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame **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 **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
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Wayback Machine
Other *Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement (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 San Antonio 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. 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