Disappeared from the NBA radars since 2015, Nate Robinson has not completely given up on the idea of one day replaying in the Great League. At 36, the featherweight who is currently training for a boxing fight says he is ready to come and play guardian angels with a franchise in need. His phone is plugged in, you just have to ring it.
Previewed in BIG3 League, G League and even Israel and Venezuela in recent years, Kryptonate still has the holy fire burning within him. He was also due to go play in Lebanon to emulate Hassan Whiteside before an injury stopped him in his plans. A real electric battery, the three-time winner of the Slam Dunk Contest also appeared in the film Uncle Drew with his mate Kyrie Irving and tried out for the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. So necessarily, those who know the beast will only be half surprised to learn that he has embarked on a new challenge preparing to fight YouTuber Jake Paul in a ring on the sidelines of the fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. November 28. Six rounds, one winner and typically the kind of challenge the former Knicks chip is crazy about. Since the start of the calendar year, he’s been training six days a week, twice a day to transform himself into a true professional boxer and you can follow his exploits on his own YouTube channel. Measured at 1.75 m, Nate Robinson will not start as a favorite but this is not the first time that he has closed his mouths thanks to a physique carefully maintained over the years. As gifted in American football as he is in basketball, he is one of those rare specimens for whom sport is second nature and who would have had a place in just about any league if he had made it his personal goal. But the Seattle kid still has his heart beating for the NBA and five years after his last appearance he still dreams of making a comeback one day as he explains to Eric Woodyard ofESPN.
“I will if it was possible. I just want a chance to show a team that even at 36 I can still play and give good minutes off the bench. But times have changed and the NBA has changed a lot. Personally, I will never say that I retired. They retired me. I have not retired. […] Of course I would love to play. I would love to have the opportunity to end my career playing the sport I love and showing them that I can still be effective. Even if it’s for 5 or 10 minutes, just being able to help in any way. No matter what they ask me, I’m here. “
After all, Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith both got back to work after a long spell of unemployment and the latter even converted that comeback by picking up a second ring in the Orlando bubble with the Lakers. Nate Robinson has only had three Playoff campaigns in his life including a loss in the NBA Finals with the Celtics in 2010 and he would surely also like to display a little gem in his collection of trophies. Already gone through eight franchises during his career, he knows how to integrate easily and be respected by his teammates and fans despite his small size. So if he begins to KO influencers under the eyes of Mike Tyson, it is downright a throne that may be offered to him to rest on the bench between two returns on a floor. While preparing for this boxing fight, Nate Robinson is in the middle of a promotional campaign to try a comeback in the NBA. And with a fight scheduled for November 28, he would have just time to recuperate to start the next season as a back-up point guard in a franchise if the resumption takes place between late December and mid-January. Physical level, he should put all his teammates in the retro and as long as he has not lost too much in the shoot we may have a replacement that weighs in the current NBA.
As sharp as ever, Kryptonate can still dunk without momentum and his signing would inevitably sell jerseys. It remains to be seen whether a team will dare to take the gamble by giving it a minimum veteran contract to beat (figuratively) its opponents next season.
Text source: ESPN
