Eddie B. Robinson Jr. (born April 19, 1976) 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. A
shooting guard/
small forward, he spent five seasons (1999–2004) in the
National Basketball Association (NBA). In April 2017, Robinson was inducted into the
NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Professional career
NBA years
After attending the
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...
, Robinson signed as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...
with the NBA's
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
in 1999. Known primarily for his leaping ability and athleticism, he averaged 7.2 points per game over two seasons as a reserve with the Hornets and attracted the attention of
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
GM Jerry Krause
Jerome Richard Krause (April 6, 1939 – March 21, 2017) was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003.
His tenure with the Bull ...
, who felt that Robinson could become a star if given more playing time. Krause signed Robinson to a 5-year,
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
30 million contract in 2001. In 2004,
John Paxson
John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was th ...
, who replaced Krause as Bulls' general manager in 2003, convinced Bulls owner
Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry Michael Reinsdorf (born February 25, 1936) is the owner of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and MLB's Chicago White Sox. He started his professional life as a tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service. He has been the owner of the White Sox ...
to buy out the last two years of Robinson's contract. Robinson left the NBA and never returned.
D-League
On November 2, 2006 Robinson was selected by the
Idaho Stampede
Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...
with the 16th overall pick in the 2006
NBDL
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...
Draft. In the 2006-07 season Robinson averaged more than 15 points for the Idaho Stampede. After the season, he was released. On November 7, 2008, he was selected with the 14th pick in the fifth round of the 2008
NBA D-League Draft by the
Albuquerque Thunderbirds
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. However, he did not come to a contract agreement.
NBL Canada
On September 19, 2011, it was announced that Robinson had signed with the
Halifax Rainmen
The Halifax Rainmen were a professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the Atlantic Division of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and their home games took place at the Scotiabank Centre, form ...
of the
National Basketball League of Canada
The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basket ...
for the 2011-12 season. However, he was placed in the injured reserve November 1. He played his first game with the Rainmen against the Oshawa Power on November 27, 2011. Robinson scored 18 points during his debut. He departed the team in January 2012.
Big3
In 2017, Robinson signed with the
Killer 3's
The Killer 3s are an American men's 3-on-3 basketball team that plays in the BIG3
Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league con ...
in Ice Cube's
Big 3 Basketball League.
Coaching
Robinson is a volunteer coach for the boys basketball team of
Prince Andrew High School
Woodlawn High School (formerly Prince Andrew High School) is a Canadian public school, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It is operated by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) (formerly the Halifax Regional School Board) and is an Internat ...
in
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Personal life
Robinson resides in Halifax with his wife Jillian and son. He settled into the area after playing for the Rainmen, got remarried and subsequently became a Canadian citizen; he is a
dual citizen
Dual or Duals may refer to:
Paired/two things
* Dual (mathematics), a notion of paired concepts that mirror one another
** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality
*** see more cases in :Duality theories
* Dual (grammatical ...
of Canada and the United States. He splits his time between Halifax and
Houston, Texas where his sisters as well as his three other children from a previous marriage live.
Notes
External links
Career statisticsat basketball-reference.com
October 2004 ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicag ...
'' article by Lacy J. Banks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Eddie
1976 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Flint, Michigan
Big3 players
Central Oklahoma Bronchos men's basketball players
Charlotte Hornets players
Chicago Bulls players
Halifax Rainmen players
Idaho Stampede players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Trinity Valley Cardinals men's basketball players
Undrafted National Basketball Association players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
American men's 3x3 basketball players