Wednesday, September 9th, 2009...9:11 am
A Quick Note on the Admiral
Over the next few days you are going to read quite a lot about David Robinson. You’ll read about his two rings, his MVP season, his scoring title, his rebounding title, his DPOY and ROY awards, and his countless contributions to the San Antonio community.
But I wanted to briefly mention a characteristic of Robinson’s that you may not read much about: The man was seriously ripped. Before the 1987 draft, bodies like his only existed in the minds of Italian Rennaissance sculptors.
Given the presence of guys like Dwight Howard and Lebron James, it’s easy to forget just how imposing Robinson’s musculature was. Prior to his era, most big men were long and lanky. In a lot of ways, the paradigm of hyper-conditioning that is dominant today finds its origins in the Admiral.
14 Comments
September 9th, 2009 at 9:19 am
I saw Robinson, while he was fulfilling his post-collegiate obligation to the Navy, play in an AAU tournament in the gym of Washburn University in Topeka, KS. The incongruity and impressiveness of Robinson in that context is one of the more lasting memories of my childhood.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Shaq was pretty ripped in his days with Orlando too, but Robinson was just a freak. He’s what made me a Spurs fan.
September 9th, 2009 at 10:07 am
On a more humorous note about the Admiral’s physique, we should also point out his chicken legs. When I was a kid, I ran into him at Bjorn’s (just Bjorn’s) and couldn’t get over how wide his shoulders were and how skinny his legs were.
September 9th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Andrew,
Ian Mahinmi has the potential to be Admiralesque in that way: great upper body on tiny legs.
September 9th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Indeed. One could’ve told me that Robinson was a bodybuilder, and I wouldn’t have doubted it. What impressed me the most was that his (buffed up)muscles were still there even after his retirement, when I saw him in the All-stars Shooting stars competition.
September 9th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Robinson is getting competition from Dwight in the shoulder department, but he still is the most ripped ever.
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September 9th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Timothy,
That’s good to hear. Along with their winning tradition, I’d like to see the Spurs carry on the tradition of having top-heavy centers. With Mahimni and Ratliff on the roster, we’ve at least got that title locked up this year.
September 9th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Robinson was named best body in basketball (if not all sports, I don’t quite remember) a few times by one of the fitness magazines in the 90s. He also did an odd nude commercial for Nike showing off his physique.
September 9th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Yeah I’ve been looking for this Nike commercial where Robinson is shirtless and walking through a waterfall (?) for awhile now… but I can’t find it anywhere. That sounds kinda weird, but I am determined to show my wife just how incredibly muscular he was. Anyone know where to find it?
September 9th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Good post. I think there’s something important about his body’s aesthetic in addition to his status as the NBA’s first muscled star. Catching him on tv in the late 80s and early 90s was like watching a god or the world’s only designed human.
And it wasn’t just that his body was exquisitely sculpted. David Robinson had to have one of the NBA’s all-time most consistently perfect haircuts. His fade was pristine. Dennis Rodman no doubt resented him for it. . .
September 9th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I DVR’ed NBA TV all day yesterday so I could watch the day-long tribute to the Admiral. It was interesting how at the end of his quad-double game the Detroit announcers just sort of made a comment like “Well folks we might not see another performance like that all year”. I bet ESPN would break into their programming today if someone was closing in on that accomplishment. It was also fun to see Fisher and Kobe crying after we worked them on their home court in game 6 of the ’03 playoffs. I also was pleasantly reminded that we closed down the Forum in ’99 with a sweep.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Judging by my title, you can tell I am a Steve Kerr fan, but there was never a Spur as great as David Robinson, he is, was and will always be “the spurs”.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Judging by my name you can tell I am a Steve Kerr fan, however there is nobody that embodies what the Spurs are better than David Robinson, he is, has always been, and will always be “the san antonio spurs”
September 9th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
The Mailman was pretty darn ripped too.
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