David Robinson was one of the greatest basketball players of the ’90s and laid the foundation for the most successful franchise of this century. But his legacy extends far beyond sport – few athletes have had the impact on their communities quite like the 1995 MVP. On August 6, the admiral will be 57 years old.
This article was originally published on August 6, 2015. You can find all other Legends stories in our archive.
“Magic, Bird, Jordan – they’re all MVPs. This guy is more than that. He’s the most important player the NBA has seen since Kareem.”
The words of the then Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons in 1991 seem relatively absurd from today’s perspective. Hardly any NBA fan would put “this guy” David Robinson in his personal all-time ranking before Magic or Bird, and not before MJ anyway.
However, they illustrate what kind of hype Robinson had already sparked in his only two years in the league. Allegedly, in 1993 there were still internal discussions within the Bulls as to whether they should offer Michael Jordan one-for-one for Robinson.
Its potential seemed limitless – superlatives seemed inappropriate. “He’s the spitting image of Bill Russell, only he’s a better athlete,” said none other than Pat Riley that same year. In a way understandable given the center’s range of skills and physical abilities.
An all-rounder with no weaknesses
Robinson was 2.16 meters tall and didn’t have an ounce of fat on his incredibly toned body. He moved with a grace that players his size simply didn’t have, and he was quicker than any center before him. “Some people are just destined to play basketball,” wrote Bill Simmons in his Book of Basketball full of wonder at the admiral.
Especially since his abilities were in no way inferior to his physical requirements. Robinson brought superior defensive instincts that earned him the 1992 Defensive Player of the Year award. He made the all-defensive team in his rookie season and led the league with 4.5 blocks per game in his third season.
He could also score in the post, fast break or middle distance and was the league’s top scorer in 1994 – his legendary 71 points on the last day of the season were only surpassed in history by Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and David Thompson. He was also an outstanding passer.
There was simply nothing Robinson couldn’t do on the basketball court. February 17, 1994 was probably the best proof: Robinson was one of only four players in history to set up a quadruple-double against the Pistons (34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks).
Basketball: More hobby than job
Throughout his life, basketball was nothing more than a beloved hobby for the devout Christian. With no professional career in mind when he enrolled at the United States Naval Academy in 1983 and enlisted for two more years in the Navy.
At that time he was still 1.95 meters tall and had only played a little organized basketball – it took an enormous growth spurt during college to put him on the scouts’ radar and within a few years he had become the most sought-after talent in the entire basketball world.
It became apparent early on that he had little in common with the money-hungry and narcissistic professional athlete of the old clichés. In fact, he was the complete opposite. Even with the prospect of millions in mind, he persisted in pursuing his math degree — and he went through his two years in the Navy unperturbed, despite being drafted first by the Spurs in 1987.
“I was brought up that way by my parents. My mother instilled in me early on that you should always think of others first,” Robinson later explained of his mentality. “It never mattered how much money you made – it was never a priority in our house. My father was in the Navy, my mother was a nurse. It was always about getting the best education possible and becoming the best person who you can be.”
Philanthropist and role model
Even as an active NBA professional, Robinson always lived by this maxim. He was one of the league’s first major philanthropists, supported a number of social projects and also opened his own school, the Carver Academy in San Antonio, in 2001. To date, he and his wife Valerie have invested more than $11 million in this project.
A great honor was bestowed on him back in 2003: Since then, winners of the annual NBA Community Assist Award have received the “David Robinson Plaque”. “For continuing the standard that NBA legend David Robinson established with his community support,” said then-Commissioner David Stern.
Very different from Jordan
He always tried to implement this positive mentality as an athlete and thus established a standard at Spurs that Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich and Co. follow to this day. A leadership style of positive reinforcement, family atmosphere. It would never have occurred to him to bully his teammates like Jordan did.
Ironically, this actually positive characteristic, this “Nice Guy” character, was the big criticism of Robinson for a long time. It was said that he was too nice to lead a team to the championship, didn’t have the alpha mentality and the unconditional will to win that characterizes the really big superstars of their guild.
The 1995 season confirmed this view for many: Robinson became MVP and led his team to the best record in the league with 62 wins. But when the playoffs went against the (extra motivated) previous year’s MVP Hakeem Olajuwon and his Rockets, Robinson’s “true” face showed: He clearly lost the duel against Hakeem and once again missed entering the finals.
The title isn’t everything
Subsequent criticism nagged at Robinson, although it didn’t break him – according to former teammate Steve Kerr, he always preached the mantra: “Winning a championship doesn’t make you a better person. It’s not validation.”
However, Robinson did not want to be considered “soft” or a loser. Especially since the clear defeat against Olajuwon bothered him personally: “For the first time in my life I felt like I had let my team-mates down.”
