David Robinson
Teams
San Antonio Spurs - 1989-03
Playoffs
Appearances - 12 (1990,1991,1993,1994,1995,1996,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003)
Conference Finals - 4 (1995,1999,2001,2003)
NBA Finals - 2 (1999,2003)
Championships - 2 (1999,2003)
Awards and Honors
Rookie of the Year - 1990
MVP - 1 (1995)
Defensive Player of the Year - 1 (1992)
All-NBA First Team - 4 (1991,1992,1994,1995,1996,1998)
All-NBA Second Team - 2 (1990,1992,1993,1994,1998,1999)
All-NBA Third Team - 4 (1990,1993,2000,2001)
Hall of Fame - 2009
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Blocks Per Game - #4
Total Blocks - #7
Total Rebounds - #36
Rebounds Per Game - #42
Points Per Game - #43
Total Points - #46
Total Steals - #62
Field Goal Percentage - #78
League Leads
Total Blocks (#1-1991,1992, #3-1990,1994,1995,1996, #5-1993,2000)
Blocks Per Game (#1-1992, #2-1991, #3-1990,1994,1996, #4-1995, #5-1993,1998)
Rebounds Per Game (#1-1991, #2-1990,1996, #4-1992, #5-1998)
Total Rebounds (#1-1991,1996, #2-1990, #4-1995)
Total Points (#1-1994, #2-1995, #3-1996, #5-1991)
Points Per Game (#1-1994, #3-1995, #5-1996)
Field Goal Percentage (#5-1999)
Steals Per Game (#5-1992)
David Robinson was the college basketball player of the year at Navy in 1987, averaging 28.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game, and was then drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the #1 overall pick in the draft. Because he was a Navy graduate, he had to fulfill a 2-year active duty commitment before he was able to join the Spurs.
The Spurs won only 21 games the year before Robinson arrived, and in his rookie year he engineered the biggest single-season turnaround in league history at the time, leading them to 56 wins. He was the unanimous Rookie of the Year after averaging 24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks that year, and led them to the second round of the playoffs.
In his second season, he was already one of the best players in the entire league. He averaged 25.6 points and 3.9 blocks, and led the league with 13.0 rebounds per game, and made his first appearance on the All-NBA First Team. In his third season, he led the league in blocks with an incredible 4.5 per game and was named the Defensive Player of the Year, but a late-season injury kept him out of the playoffs, where the Spurs were swept in the first round.
In 1993-94, Robinson got into a race for the scoring title with Shaq, and knowing that he needed 70 points to lead the league, Robinson closed the season with a 71-point game against the Clippers to finish best in the league at 29.8 per game. He is one of only 6 players to ever score 70 in a single game, along with Wilt (6 times), Kobe, Baylor, Devin Booker, and David Thompson.
The next year, Robinson was named the MVP after averaging 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game and leading the Spurs to the best record in the league. He was able to lead the Spurs to the Conference Finals for the first time in his career, but they lost to Hakeem Olajuwon and the defending-champion Rockets one step short of the Finals.
After one more great year where the Spurs fell short in the playoffs, Robinson suffered a preseason back injury that caused him to miss more than a month at the start of the season, then broke his foot just 6 games after returning, which ended his season early. His absence caused the Spurs to plummet to the bottom of the league, but it turned out to be a good thing, because the Spurs won the Draft lottery and picked Tim Duncan with the #1 pick.
Robinson had one more year as the team's best player after returning from injury, averaging 21.6 points and 10.6 rebounds in his comeback season. The next year, Duncan became the team's biggest star, though Robinson was still very good, averaging 15.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, and the Spurs dominated their way to the NBA Finals, losing only one game in the first 3 rounds. In the first Finals in franchise history, the Spurs beat New York in 5 games, and Robinson finally had a championship.
The Spurs reached the Conference Finals again 2 years later, but were swept by the Lakers, then lost to LA again in the second round the year after that. In Robinson's final season, the Spurs were finally able to get back to the Finals, and Robinson finished off strong, scoring 13 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in the decisive Game 6 against New Jersey, finishing off his career with a second ring.
Robinson was one of the best players on earth in his first 7 seasons, leading the league once each in rebounding, blocks, and scoring, winning the Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, MVP, and an Olympic Gold Medal in the process. He was definitely slowed down by the injuries he suffered in 1996, but he took on his slightly-reduced role well, and was a big part of their first title, and played well again to win his second. It's sad that injuries took him down right at his peak, because there is no telling how great he could have been, but he had already done enough to prove that he is one of the best basketball players of all time.
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