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BIOGRAPHY ACCOLADES &
ACHIEVEMENTS |
David Maurice Robinson was born on August 6, 1965, Key West, Florida. He attended Osbourn Park High School, Manassas, Virginia, where he played just one year of high school basketball. He then joined the Navy where his basketball skills were discovered. He is currently married to wife Valerie and has three boys, David Maurice, Corey Matthew and Justin Michael. Regarded as one of the top centers of his era, if not of all time, David "The Admiral" Robinson is a marvel of a basketball player and a respected figure off the court. A lean, muscular 7-foot-1, 250 pound athlete, he is fast, strong, and agile. This gentle giant has achieved a vast amount of sporting accolades In his first six NBA seasons he won a Rookie of the Year Award, a rebounding title, a scoring crown, a Most Valuable Player Award, a Defensive Player of the Year Award, six All-Star selections, three selections to the All-NBA First Team, and three selections to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He's also living proof of the old adage that good things come to those who wait. A 1987 graduate with a mathematics degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, Robinson honored a commitment to serve two years in the Navy before joining the NBA. He was the best thing that ever happened to Navy basketball. A 6-foot-4 player with one year of prep experience when he joined the team, he averaged 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds as a freshman. He grew 7 inches while at the Academy and became a devastating force. As a junior, he averaged 22.7 points (down from 23.6 as a sophomore), led the nation in rebounding (13.0 rpg), and set an NCAA Division I record by averaging 5.91 blocks. He blocked 14 shots in a single game that season to set a collegiate record, and he tallied more blocks in a season (207) than any player in the history of college basketball. As a senior, he averaged 28.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.50 blocks to win unanimous selection as Player of the Year. He also played on the 1988 U.S. Olympic basketball team. Robinson, who had just finished his career at the Naval Academy, was certainly the best player available in the 1987 NBA Draft, but he also had a two-year commitment to the Navy and thus would not be able to join an NBA team until 1989. The Spurs, who won the 1987 NBA Draft Lottery and owned the first overall pick, looked at Robinson's college accomplishments and decided he was worth the wait. So finally the day came; in November of 1989, David set foot on the floor of HemisFair Arena. He made a splash immediately; in fact, his first block was on the considered great Magic Johnson. The San Antonio Spurs selected Robinson with the No. 1 pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. After his two years of military service, he joined the Spurs in 1989-90 and earned Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.89 blocks and shooting .531 from the field. San Antonio had posted a 21-61 record in 1988ñ89, but in Robinson's rookie year the Spurs went 56-26 and captured the Midwest Division title. The 35-game improvement marked the greatest single-season turnaround in NBA history. According to plan, Robinson entered the NBA as a 24-year-old rookie with the Spurs in 1989-90. He was certainly worth the wait. One of the most gifted and versatile athletes in the NBA, the 7-foot-1 Robinson was the NBA Rookie of the Month all six months of the season, an All-Star at mid-year, and then an easy choice for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award at the season's end.
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David can play defense too, known for his tenacity around the hoop and dangerous shot-blocking. In fact, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the 1991-92 season. He has been on the All-Defensive First Team in 1991, 1992, 1995 and 1996 and on the Second Team in 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1998. He even has a quad-triple double to his name, collecting 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks against the Pistons on February 17, 1994. David won his first NBA MVP award in 1995. The Spurs advanced to the conference finals before losing to Hakeem Olajuwon's Houston Rockets, who went on to dispatch O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. Following the 1994-95 season, Robinson was named to the 1996 U.S. Dream Team, which will compete in the Olympic Games in Atlanta. His achievements included All-NBA First Team selections in 1991 and 1992, an All-NBA Third Team spot in 1993, and NBA All-Defensive First Team berths in 1991 and 1992. He led the league in blocked shots in 1991ñ92 at 4.49 per game. But the best was yet to come. Robinson scored 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on the last day of the 1993-94 season to win the NBA scoring title at 29.8 points per game. (Shaquille OíNeal finished at 29.3). The next year, 1994-95, Robinson averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.23 blocks; paced the Spurs to the NBAís best record at 62-20; and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He was an immediate impact player, winning rookie of the year honors and becoming one of the dominant centers in the game. He is a 4 Time all-NBA first teamer (1991, 1992, 1995 and 1996), and has never missed being named to the All-Star Game (except 1997 due to injury). The Admiral was an All-NBA Second Teamer in 1994 and 1998 and on the Third Team in 1990, 1993, 2000 and 2001. He scored 15 points in the 1990 All-Star game as a rookie. David has played for 3 Olympic teams (1988, 1992 and 1996). He was a member of the Dream Team and Dream Team III, allowing him to avenge his loss as a college player in the 1988 Olympics. In 1993-94, he led the league in scoring with a 29.8 ppg average. On April 24, 1994, he poured in an incredible 71 points against the LA CLippers. In 1995 he signed a six year 66 million dollar contract. His 1996-97 season was wasted due to nagging injuries that only allowed him to play 6 games. David is the Spurs all-time leader in rebounds, blocked shots and free throws made and attempted. He was named 1999 and 2000 All-Interview First Team and the 1998 and 2001 All-Interview Second Team, proving he can handle the spotlight. The Admiral had the honor of joining all-time great centers such as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. David won the 2001 NBA Sportsmanship Award. On July 21, 2001 San Antonio re-signed David Robinson to a 2 year, $20 million contract.
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