Thursday, April 2nd, 2009...3:20 pm
It’s Official
David Robinson is headed to the Hall of Fame. I never had a doubt in my mind but it’s worth commemorating nonetheless.
Despite his rare combination of athleticism and character, Robinson does not often get the respect he deserves. I’d love to wax poetic on how much Robinson meant to me when I was growing up (his signed jersey hung on the wall above my bed) but I’m going to turn the floor over to Matt McHale, whose 21-Gun Salute to the Admiral does an excellent job capturing why number 50 was such a special figure in the history of the NBA:
The man could put the ball in the hole: He led the league in scoring in 1993-94 and is one of only five players to have ever scored more than 70 points in a single game (with 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 24, 1994). He is 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). In 1991-92, he became just the third player to have ever ranked among the league’s top 10 in five statistical categories, joining Cliff Hagan (1959-60) and Larry Bird (1985-86) — Robinson was seventh in scoring (23.2 ppg), fourth in rebounding (12.2 rpg), first in blocks (4.49 per game), fifth in steals (2.32 per game) and seventh in field-goal percentage (.551). That achievement also made him the first player to ever rank among the top five in rebounding, blocks and steals in a single season. And finally, he’s also the only player in NBA history to win the Rebounding, Blocked Shots, and Scoring Titles and Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and MVP.
It is definitely worth going back and reading the whole thing if you get a chance.
And what tribute to Robinson would be complete without some highlights:
Cleanly blocking a Jordan dunk is just plain nasty but the reason that is my favorite Robinson highlight is because of the fast break. Have you ever seen another center take the ball end-to-end so quickly and finish at the rim with such grace and authority? Seeing him sprint past our tacky old logo* with a full head of steam makes me nostalgic for not only that Spurs team but that moment in the entire NBA.
*How cool was our old logo? I wish we still used it.
21 Comments
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
David Robinson was a bad man in his prime!! As good as he was, I wonder how good he would have been if basketball was a true passion for him. I heard that in high school (11th grade I think), that he had to be talked into playing basketball. Either way, he’s still my favorite center of all time. Imagine him and Tim Duncan playing together, BOTH IN THEIR PRIMES, nobody would beat them. Man, I miss seeing the Twin Towers together.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
David Robinson is THE reason I became a Spurs fan, and a fan basketball for that matter. Thanks for the video. It’s easy to forget how graceful and athletic he was before his back injury.
One of my favorite memories of David (wish I had a video link) was of an all-star game. Isiah Thomas had the ball and ended being guarded by David on the corner. Thomas’ eyes lit up, he waved his teammates away and they all cleared that side of the court. As Thomas made his move towards the basket, David leaned down poked the ball away and started a fast break for the West.
David was a complete defensive player. He could defend his own man straight up, provide help defense, defend the post, defend the perimeter, steal, block… everything.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Krista,
FWIW: I’m a Spurs fan because of Robinson too. Seems like so long ago, doesn’t it?
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:10 pm
I was lucky enough to be at The Admiral’s jersey retirement in 2003. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried. To me, he encompassed everything that is good and right about a professional athlete, on the court and off the court. When being known as one of the greatest players of all times is eclipsed by being acknowledged as the greatest community contributor the game has known, you know his legacy is set.
Quick story, my sister and a friend waited outside of the Alamodome for the players to finish practice and ask for autographs. Three guys stopped: Malik Rose, Antonio Daniels, and Robinson. Malik and Antonio signed a couple cards and took off. Robinson laughed when my sister pulled out a stack of 15 cards for him autograph…and then he signed them all. Someday I’ll get to meet him in person, shake his hand, and let him know how much I appreciate him.
I’m thinking his biceps should have their own induction ceremony. Just saying….
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Seeing those hightlights bring back so many memories for me. I still can’t believe that I was in the 4th grade when David Robinson came to the Spurs in 1989. I had his Starting Lineup toy, posters, cards, etc. When I got to the 6th grade, I got the Chalkline jacket with his picture on it. It seems like I was the only Spurs fan around back then. I was surrounded by a bunch of bandwagon Bulls fans as a kid.
Oh, and I still remember the Spurs’ starting lineup from Dave’s rookie season:
C -David Robinson
F -Terry Cummings
F -Sean Elliott (also a rookie)
G -Willie Anderson
G -Maurice Cheeks/Rod Strickland
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:54 pm
It’s too bad that when people mention the games greatest players in recent memory he doesn’t come to mine more quickly.
Also, are we led to believe that the signed jersey is no longer hangin above your bed?
If so I have only two words: tsk tsk
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I became a Spurs fan because of him too. I get mad when I try to convince my friends that Robinson was arguably the best player in the league for a couple of years and if not for his back injury, he would have remained there into this decade and made sure people would be discussing if he was the greatest center of all.
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
man i do NOT miss the old logo haha. Robinson did spark my love for the Spurs as well, I still have two basketballs signed by him during his prime. I also appreciated that every signature he’d give (as far as i know), he would put a verse from the Bible.
Was a nice reminder on how genuine this man is.
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:48 am
Great news, and what an amazing highlight! I couldn’t believe that was him on the fast break…he looks like Manu in that clip!
Tom: Don’t forget that Robinson had a ridiculous growth spurt in college, which probably helped his decision to play basketball.
April 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 am
Same as most of the people who have commented, but I’m a Spurs fan because of Robinson too.
I can’t even begin to describe what an impact he had on my life, both as a basketball player and a role model. He was my favorite player as I was growing up and I honestly couldn’t have picked anyone better. He was so talented, hard working, selfless, and understood where basketball fit into his life. His offcourt work and Christian walk are both commendable in an age when nobody wants to take responsibility for their actions or believe that people look up to them.
I only hope that my children will have an athlete they can look up to who is as great as David Robinson.
April 3rd, 2009 at 5:37 am
When David signed, the Spurs opened the press conference to the public. My friend and I were so excited he decided to sign with the Spurs we went down to the old Hemisphere Arena for the press conference. It was a great day in Spurs history! David didn’t disappoint the franchise or the city! A great player and a better person.
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:21 am
I’m a Spurs fan because of Robinson too. I’ve never even lived in Texas, but I’ve been a Spurs fan since Robinson played there. What an awesome basketball player and an incredible person.
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:59 am
Anything else than first ballot would have been a travesty. And I don’t think he’s underrated, he’s just not the high-profile attention-seeker type, but his achievements speak loud and clear and basketball fans look up to him. There’s not a bad word to be said, and that’s rare enough.
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:46 am
Same here. Born and raised 40 minutes north of Philadelphia and absolutely loved David Robinson growing up. (I remember seeing him in Philadelphia and being bummed because he didn’t have one of his best games, but Will Perdue had like 21 and 14).
What’s weird, and awesome for me, is that I loved Timmy Duncan at Wake when I was little and having the two pair up was literally a dream come true. So cool to watch.
Agreed on the old logo. Granted, the new logo is a bit classier, but they should still bring it back a few games throughout the year.
Congrats to Mr. Robinson. Obviously expected but nevertheless extremely well deserved.
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:34 am
The reason why me an many international people became Spurs fans… props to the admiral he will always be THE role model to look myself after
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:39 am
It seems like so many of us grew up idolizing Robinson. I think watching him from the age of 10 not only turned me into a huge Spurs fan, but also a huge fan of basketball in general. He was just a phenomenal athlete and person.
It’s always fun to watch highlights of him in his prime, as it becomes easy to think about him in the twilight of his career. Thanks for posting the video clip, Graydon. After watching that, I watched several other YouTube clips of him. Talk about taking me back… I was feeling very nostalgic this morning.
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:50 am
I still miss David Robinson, he is, was, and always will be my favorite player of all time, and no matter how many championships the Spurs win, none will ever match the 99 and 2003 championships.
Also, the fiesta colors are awesome!! It was truly San Antonio, whereas now the Spurs logo and uniforms are generic and boring.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
There’s nothing I can say, that’s already been said, to justify the greatness that is David Robinson. I still wish that we could turn the clock back on his career, and put him on the floor right now…truly a class act, in the community and on the floor.
Also, I miss the old logo, but not the colors or the floor design…change was needed, but the fiesta colors still live in the AT&T Center seats! haha
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Wow.. I don’t know where that clip came from, but that brought some goose bumps.
That was one of the first Spurs games I ever went to and the only time I ever saw Jordan in person.. unbelievable!
Spurs won after Jordan missed a shot from the corner as time expired.
Man, I miss the Hemisfair Arena.. that was a home court advantage!
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Isn’t it fascinating how many people are Spurs fans because of David Robinson? I know that I am, too. Great player, great man. His influence is still felt in this city, on this team. Is there a greater San Antonian with more influence, positive influence? Never really been a player like him. God bless David Robinson.
April 4th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Amen to all these posts! In addition to all the things yall mention, I remember Mr. Robinson from his days at Annapolis ~ he was the talk of the town at all the service academies during b’ball season! Also, his 2002 “performance” with the SA symphony, narrating “Human Songs” with his marvelous voice…it just doesn’t get any better than that! Congrats Admiral!
Leave a Reply