David G. Robinson

Robinson, David G. (fl. mid‐19th century), actor and manager. Known affectionately as “Doc” or “Yankee” Robinson, but not to be confused with Fayette Lodawick Robinson, who was also addressed as “Yankee,” he was born between 1805 and 1809 in East Monmouth, Maine. He is said to have attended Yale and to have been graduated as a physician in the early 1830s. Later he toured with his family in his own temperance play, A Reformed Drunkard, before moving to San Francisco around 1847 and setting himself up as a doctor and also opening a drug store. In 1850 Robinson built one of the city's first playhouses, the 280‐seat Dramatic Museum on California Street, and began to present his own burlesques, including Seeing the Elephant, a spoof of gold‐rush prospectors, and Who's Got the Countess?, a send‐up of Lola Montez. At the same time he wrote and performed in satires on local politics. These proved so popular that when he ran for alderman, he was elected. After the Museum burned, he erected and managed several other theatres. Robinson also guided the career of his young daughter, Sue Robinson, who was briefly acclaimed as a child prodigy or “fairy star.” However, by the mid‐1850s his luck and popularity deserted him. He has been described as a “tall, angular man with hawklike eyes and an acid wit.”

basketball player

Personal Information

Born David Robinson, on August 6, 1965, in Key West, FL; son of Ambrose (an engineer) and Freda Robinson; married with children: David Jr. and Corey.
Education: : graduated from the United States Naval Academy.

Career

After one year of high school basketball, Robinson attended the Naval Academy and played basketball all four years, 1983-84, 1986-87; the first overall selection in the NBA draft of the San Antonio Spurs, 1987; served two additional years at Kings Bay Naval Base, 1988-89; participated in the Olympic Games, 1988, 1992, 1996; starting center for the San Antonio Spurs, 1989-2003.

Life's Work

David Robinson, who led the San Antonio Spurs to two National Basketball Association championships before retiring in 2003, was born in Key West, Florida on August 6, 1965. He was the second child of Ambrose and Freda Robinson. Since Robinson's father was in the Navy, the family soon moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia where Robinson excelled in school and in most sports except basketball. He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall in junior high school so he tried basketball, but he soon quit. Robinson attended Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia just outside of Washington D.C., where Robinson's father was working as an engineer after retiring from the Navy. By his senior year in high school he was 6 feet, 7 inches tall, but he had not played organized basketball. When the coach added the tall senior to the basketball team, Robinson earned all-area and all-district honors but generated little interest among college basketball coaches. Basketball was not his first priority anyway, getting an education was. With a Scholastic Aptitude Test score of 1,320 out of a possible 1,600, Robinson could go to any school he chose, and he chose the United States Naval Academy.

In the Navy

Robinson entered the Naval Academy in the fall of 1983. Robinson had to deal with the rigors of the Naval Academy, in addition to learning college basketball. In his freshman year, he did not start a single game and averaged 7.6 points and four rebounds a game. But the next year Robinson's height and ability in basketball would change dramatically. Robinson grew to be 6 feet, 11 inches tall and began to dominate on the basketball court. Robinson led the Midshipmen to a 26-6 record, a Colonial Conference title, and into the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years. Robinson averaged 23.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, and blocked 128 shots. Robinson performed so well he finally thought about playing in the NBA. But after graduating from the academy, he would still owe the Navy five years of service. Because of this long-term commitment he seriously considered transferring after his sophomore year, but he decided to stay when Navy officials hinted at reducing his obligation after graduation.

In his junior year, 1986, Robinson led the Naval Academy to the final eight of the NCAA tournament and was named to the Associated Press All-American Team. Robinson averaged 22.7 points and 13 rebounds per game. But he really dominated on the defensive end. After three seasons Robinson had set NCAA records for most shots blocked in a game (14), most shots blocked in a season (207), and most career shots blocked (372). Robinson's 207 blocks were more rejections than every team except national champion Louisville.

In his senior season, Robinson was named the only unanimous selection on the AP's All-American Team and won the Naismith Award as the College Player of the Year. Robinson graduated from the Naval Academy in the spring of 1987 and right away, he was the first player chosen in the NBA draft, by the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs drafted Robinson knowing he would not be available until the 1989-90 season. Robinson reported to the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base and worked as an engineer. He also played on the United States' national team. Robinson participated in the Pan Am Games in 1987 and in the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea in 1988, where the U.S. team finished a disappointing third.

The Admiral in the NBA

In May of 1989 Robinson was discharged from the Navy. He went from being a solitary engineer to the glamour of the NBA and a starring role in his own Nike commercial. His impact on the Spurs was phenomenal. In Robinson's first year, the team improved 35 victories, from 21-61 to 56-26. Robinson ended the season tenth in the league in scoring with a 24.3 average, second in rebounding averaging 12 per game, and third in blocked shots with 3.89 per game. Robinson was named to the All-Star Game, was All-NBA third team, and was the unanimous Rookie of the Year. In his first year Robinson led his team to a Midwest Division title and into the second round of the playoffs.

The following season Robinson again played in all 82 games and bettered his statistics from the previous year. He not only made the All-Star team but was also first team All-NBA and a member of the All-Defensive team. Robinson was the only player in the league to finish the season in the top 10 in four statistical categories. He finished first in rebounding (13 per game) and second in blocked shots (3.90 per game). Despite his individual achievements the Spurs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Two years into his career, he seemed to be on top of the world, but just the opposite was true. Robinson told Sports Illustrated about his state of mind after the 1991 season: "What surprised me was that I wasn't happy. Here I had everything I ever wanted--I had graduated from a good school, had a good family behind me, was doing things I never dreamed I'd do--and I wasn't happy at all. I looked at myself, and I didn't like the person I was becoming. I felt I was so important. I had selfishness and arrogance." Robinson's solution was to commit more fully to Christianity. He also became more settled marrying Valerie Hoggat, a woman he had met in 1988 while he was serving in the Navy.

Robinson continued to improve in his third season despite an injury that forced him to miss the last part of the season--He tore a ligament in his hand and missed all the games after March 16. Robinson became only the third player in NBA history to finish the season in the top ten in scoring (seventh), rebounding (fourth), blocked shots (first), steals (fifth), and field-goal percentage (seventh). For the third time Robinson made the All-Star team and was again named All-NBA first team and the Defensive Player of the Year. Robinson also played in his second Olympic games winning the gold medal in Barcelona with the first Dream Team. After the injury the previous season, Robinson took on a massive workload in the 1992-93 season. He played in all 82 Spurs games and broke the franchise record for minutes played with 3,211. The star center played more than 40 minutes in 41 games. During this marathon season, Robinson was typically excellent, starting for the Western Conference All-Star Team and for the year averaging 23.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.22 blocks, and 1.55 steals per game. In the post season the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals before losing to the Phoenix Suns in six games.

Robinson Wins the MVP

For the 1993-94 season, the Spurs brought in rebounding sensation Dennis Rodman, which allowed Robinson to concentrate more on offense. He responded by leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 29.8 points per game. Robinson averaged 40.5 minutes per game and finished second in the voting for the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Robinson also made a fifth straight All-Star appearance and led his team to a 55-27 record. Still there were whispers that the intelligent, religious, young center who listened to classical music could never lead his team to an NBA championship. Isiah Thomas, the Detroit Pistons Hall-of-Fame point guard, commented on this perception in an article in Sports Illustrated: "David Robinson has always been nice, and their team has always been nice. But do you want a bunch of guys who are nice all the time, or do you want to win championships? If Dennis can keep David angry, they could make it out of the West." Rodman would not help enough as the Spurs lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Robinson seemed to answer his critics during the 1994-95 season winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. Robinson showed the all-around quality of his game averaging 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.23 blocks per game. He led the Spurs to the best regular season record in the NBA (62-20) and a number one seed throughout the playoffs. San Antonio moved through the first two rounds of the postseason, but lost in the conference semifinals to the Houston Rockets and the 1993-94 MVP, Hakeem Olajuwan. Robinson told Sports Illustrated about the turnaround from winning the MVP award to being bounced from the playoffs: "I don't think there's any worse feeling for an athlete than to feel inadequate. These are the times when you really have to love the game, when you realize you were six games away from a title, and now you have to start over again. I just stayed home for a few days. The kids give you perspective."

Despite his disappointment, in 1995-96 Robinson almost equaled his accomplishments from the previous MVP year. He made All-NBA and All-Defensive First Teams and made the All-Star game for the seventh consecutive time. After a seven-year career filled with every sort of accolade except post-season success, Robinson was finally bitten by the injury bug during the 1996-97 season. He missed his first 18 games with a lower back strain, and then after six games back in the lineup, Robinson broke his foot and missed the rest of the season.

The 1997-98 season marked the arrival of highly regarded rookie Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest. Robinson came back strong from his year off and battled through a concussion and nagging injuries in both knees to be named an All-Star and second team All-NBA. Despite missing some games and a reduction in playing time, Robinson still averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. As he approached his tenth season in the league, Robinson had accomplished about as much as an individual player could accomplish--including being named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. He had homes in San Antonio and Aspen, Colorado, and his family had now grown to include two sons, David Jr. and Corey. Off the court he had established the David Robinson Foundation, his own charitable organization, helped an entire grade at a San Antonio school pay for college, and is active in feeding the homeless through a program called "Feed My Sheep." He also founded the Ruth Project that provides diapers and baby food for needy families. In short, he had done it all--except win a championship. The Top of the Mountain.

To win the championship, Robinson was asked to do something he hadn't done since he was a freshman at Navy--play a supporting role. The coach asked his former franchise player to focus more on the defensive end of the court and allow Duncan to take over as the scorer for the 1998-99 season. Robinson told Sports Illustrated's Phil Taylor that the adjustment was difficult: "It grinds on everything in me that's competitive--my ego, my pride, everything. I've always been the focus here. To feel as though I'm not anymore is difficult, very difficult. I look at my numbers, and they look so strange. I used to laugh at the guys who averaged only 12 points and 10 rebounds. Anybody could average 12 and 10. But now I find myself in that position." When the Spurs, which were one of the favorites to win the championship, started 6-8 in a season truncated by a labor stoppage, many, including Robinson himself, questioned the strategy. But the Spurs kept to the game plan and stormed through the rest of the season and into the NBA Finals. During the playoffs, Robinson averaged 15.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.35 blocks, and 35.3 minutes per game. In the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, Robinson pushed his playoff numbers even higher. He averaged 16.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. The Spurs won four of five games from the Knicks and the man known as "The Admiral" led his team to the NBA promised land. But still he kept the title in perspective as he explained in an article he wrote with Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated: "Everybody thinks the trophy and the ring are the ultimate things, but as valuable as they are, they're just things. They'll wind up on a shelf somewhere, but the experience of winning them, the journey, will be right here in my heart forever."

Robinson, during the 1999-2000 season, scored career point number 18,000 of his career, in a game against the Sacramento Kings on May 5, 2000. Less than one year later, on March 9, 2001, he topped 19,000 career points in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He achieved a far more gratifying goal in September of 2001 with the opening of the Carver Academy in San Antonio's inner city. The school, which supports pre-kindergarten through elementary grades, was made possible largely through a $5 million grant from Robinson. With 60 students enrolled in 2001, Carver Academy--named for George Washington Carver--was projected to grow to a full capacity of 280 after the first year.

After the Lakers won three consecutive titles, Robinson, playing his final season, went out a champion in 2003, his 14th and final season. The Spurs dethroned the Lakers in six games in the Western Conference finals, then eliminated the New Jersey Nets, also in six games, in the NBA Finals. With victory in hand, Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich pulled Robinson with 35.6 seconds left to loud cheers from the San Antonio crowd and hugs from his teammates. “My last game, streamers flying, world champions. How can you write a better script than this?" Robinson said, according to the Associated Press. “It's unbelievable. I'm going to end my career on the highest of highs." The Spurs retired Robinson's jersey number, 50, the following season.

Awards

Associated Press All-American, 1985-86, and 1986-87; Naismith and Wooden Awards as the College Player of the Year, 1987; NBA Rookie of the Year, 1989-90; NBA All-Defensive First Team, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1994-95, and 1995-96; NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 1991-92; All NBA First Team, 1990-91, 1991-92, and 1994-95; All NBA Second Team, 1993-94, and 1997-98; All NBA Third Team, 1989-90, and 1992-93; NBA's Most Valuable Player, 1994-95; Named by the league as one of its 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, 1996; Ten-time NBA All-Star; Sportsman of the Year (with Tim Duncan), Sports Illustrated, 2003.

Further Reading

Books

• Miller, Dawn M., David Robinson: Backboard Admiral (The Achievers). Lerner Publications Co.: N.Y., 1991.

• Sports Illustrated, March 7, 1994; April 26, 1996; April 12, 1999; July 13, 1999; October 22, 2001.

• http://nba.com/playerfile/bio/david_robinson.html.
• >SI.com,,June 15, 2003, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/2003/playoffs/news/2003/06/15/robinson_spurs_ap/ (June 15, 2003); sportsillustrated.cnn.com, November 11, 2003; SI.com, sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/specials/sportsman/2003/, December 8, 2003.

— Michael J. Watkins

Quotes:

"I think any player will tell you that individual accomplishments help your ego, but if you don't win, it makes for a very, very long season. It counts more that the team has played well."

David Robinson

Position	Center
Nickname	The Admiral
Height	7 ft 1 in
Weight	lb ( kg)
Nationality	USA
Born	August 6 1965 (1965--) (age 42) Key West, Florida
High school	Osbourn Park
College	Navy
Draft	1st overall, 1987 San Antonio Spurs
Pro career	1989–2003
Former teams	San Antonio Spurs
Awards	NBA MVP(1995) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1992) NBA Rookie of the Year (1990) (1987) USBWA College Player of the Year Naismith College Player of the Year (1987) John R. Wooden Award (1987) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team NBA Sportsmanship Award (2001)

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
Bronze	1988 Seoul	United States
Gold	1992 Barcelona	United States
Gold	1996 Atlanta	United States

David Maurice Robinson (born August 6 1965(1965--)) is a retired American NBA basketball player, who is often considered one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. A born-again Christian, Robinson is also an amateur musician who enjoys playing various instruments at home. His nicknames include "The Admiral", based on his service as an officer in the United States Navy. Robinson is now on staff at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio.

Early life

David Robinson was born in Key West, Florida on August 6, 1965. He was the second child of Ambrose and Freda Robinson. Since Robinson's father was in the Navy, the family moved many times. After his father retired from the Navy, the family settled in Woodbridge, Virginia where Robinson excelled in school and in most sports except basketball. He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall in junior high school so he tried basketball, but he soon quit. Robinson attended Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia just outside of Washington D.C., where Robinson's father was working as an engineer after retiring from the Navy. By his senior year in high school he was 6 feet, 7 inches tall, but he had not played organized basketball. When the coach added the tall senior to the basketball team, Robinson earned all-area and all-district honors but generated little interest among college basketball coaches. Basketball was not his first priority anyway—getting an education was. Robinson scored a 1320 on the SAT, and he chose to go to the United States Naval Academy, where he majored in mathematics.

College basketball career

He was the best basketball player at the Naval Academy, choosing jersey number 50 after his idol Ralph Sampson. By the time he took the court in his first basketball game for Navy, he had grown to 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), and over the course of his college basketball career, he grew to 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m). In his final two years, he was a consensus All-American, and won college basketball's two most prestigious player awards, the Naismith and Wooden Awards, as a Naval Academy first classman (senior). Upon graduation, he became eligible for the 1987 NBA Draft and was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the first overall pick; however, the Spurs had to wait two years before he could join them because he had to fulfill two years of Navy duty.

In a mildly controversial, yet understandable move, the Navy excused him from three years of the normal five years of his military commitment following graduation from the Naval Academy because his height prohibited his deployment in many roles (e.g. aviation, the submarine corps, and many ships). Nonetheless, Robinson continued to serve in a reserve role with the Navy and was regularly featured in recruiting materials for the service. Despite the nickname "Admiral", Robinson's actual rank upon fulfilling his service commitment was Lieutenant, Junior Grade.^[1]

At the Naval Academy, Robinson was an outstanding all-around athlete and chess player; during the physical tests that the Academy gives all incoming plebes he scored higher in gymnastics than anyone in his class. This was even more impressive due to his height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) at the time. To put this in perspective, virtually all male gymnasts are well under 6 ft (1.83 m) tall, and the service academies prohibit enrollment to anyone taller than 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m). However, the academies do not drop students who grow past this height limit after enrolling, which later benefited Robinson.

NBA career

Although there was speculation that Robinson might choose not to sign with the Spurs and to become a free agent once his Navy commitment ended,^{[2] [3]} Robinson decided in the end to come to San Antonio. Robinson joined the Spurs for the 1989-90 season, and he helped the team produce the second greatest single season turnaround in NBA history^[4] (the Spurs also hold the record for greatest turnaround, in 1997-98, after drafting Tim Duncan). The Spurs went from 21-61^[5] in the 1988-89 NBA season to 56-26 in 1989-90, for a remarkable 35 game improvement. They advanced to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs where they lost in seven games to the eventual western conference champions, the Portland Trail Blazers. Following the 1989-90 season, he was unanimously named the NBA rookie of the year, and subsequently SEGA produced a game featuring him entitled David Robinson's Supreme Court.

In succeeding years, the Spurs continuously qualified for the NBA playoffs, but without championship results. Robinson also made the 1992 US Olympic Dream Team that won the gold medal in Barcelona. During the 1993-94 season, he became locked in a duel for scoring champion with Shaquille O'Neal, and by the last game of the season, he scored 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers to win it.^[6]

Robinson went on to win the MVP trophy in 1995, and in 1996 he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.^[7] Still, from 1991 to 1998, the Chicago Bulls and the Houston Rockets thwarted Robinson's quest to claim the NBA championship that he desired so much to win. The losses against the Rockets were particularly painful for Robinson because the Rockets' center at this time was his rival, Hakeem Olajuwon, who to his own admission, outplayed him in the series. Robinson's NBA title dreams seemed to vanish when he was seriously injured in 1997, and the Spurs subsequently fell to a dismal 20–62 record. However, his injury proved to be a blessing in disguise: due to their dismal season record in 1997, the Spurs enjoyed the first pick in the next year's college draft, and with it they selected Tim Duncan, who would become in subsequent years the final key to their quest for an NBA title.

Champion

Before the start of the 1998-99 season, the NBA owners and the NBA commissioner David Stern locked out the NBA Players' Association to force negotiation on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. This lockout lasted for 202 days, well into the regular NBA season, until finally an agreement was reached. Thus, the NBA season began late on February 5, 1999, making it literally the 1999 NBA season. After playing a truncated 50-game season, the Spurs finished with an NBA-best record of 37–13, giving them the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Spurs blitzed through the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Portland Trail Blazers by a combined record of 11–1. In the NBA finals, the combination of Robinson in the post and second-year, 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) forward Tim Duncan proved overpowering, and the Spurs beat the New York Knicks in five games to become the NBA champions. Duncan was named the Finals MVP.

Champion again

Robinson announced he would retire from basketball after the 2003 campaign.

On June 15, 2003, in a fitting finale to Robinson's career, the Spurs sealed another NBA title with an 88–77 victory over the New Jersey Nets in game six of the 2003 NBA Finals. The ever-modest Robinson, who scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in his final game, credited God for the win. And fittingly, he and the year's MVP Tim Duncan—together known as the "Twin Towers" —shared Sports Illustrated magazine's 2003 Sportsmen of the Year award.

Robinson's NBA career averages are 21.1 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, 3.0 blocks per game, and 2.5 assists per game. Also, he is one of only a very small group of players to have scored over 20,000 career points in the NBA, as well as being one of only four players to have recorded a quadruple-double^[4] (with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against the Detroit Pistons on February 17, 1994).

Career awards/accomplishments

His list of awards and accomplishments is long and include a number of records as well as sharing a number of distinctions with very few other luminaries of the game; for his on the court play, he was named among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

• NBA Champion (1999, 2003)
• NBA MVP (1995)
• NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1992)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (1990)
• All-NBA First Team (1991, '92, '95, '96)
• All-NBA Second Team (1994, '98)
• All-NBA Third Team (1990, '93, 2000, '01)
• All-Defensive First Team (1991, '92, '95, '96)
• All-Defensive Second Team (1990, '93, '94, '98)
• 10-time NBA All-Star
• 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
• One of only four players to have recorded a quadruple-double
• NBA Sportsmanship Award (2001)
• Third player in NBA history to rank among the league's top 10 in five categories (7th in scoring (23.2 ppg), 4th in rebounding (12.2 rpg), 1st in blocks (4.49 per game), 5th in steals (2.32 per game) and 7th in field-goal percentage (.551))
• First player in NBA history to rank among the top five in rebounding, blocks and steals (per game) in a single season^[4]
• Fourth player ever to score 70+ in an NBA game
• 3-time Olympian (1988, '92, '96)
• One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)
• Led NBA in Scoring (1993–94 season) - 29.8 ppg
• Led NBA in Rebounding (1990–91 season) - 13.0 rpg
• Led NBA in Blocked Shots (1991–92 season) - 4.49 bpg
• Holds record for most IBM Awards (1990, '91, '94, '95, '96)
• His 10,497 rebounds and 2,954 blocked shots are the most by any player wearing a San Antonio Spurs jersey, and his 20,790 points are second most behind only George Gervin's 23,602. (Had only Gervin's NBA numbers been taken into account, Robinson would be #1 in this category; Gervin scored 4,219 of his points while the franchise was in the American Basketball Association.)
• Gold Medal in 1986 FIBA World Championship. ^[8]
• Member of Dream Team #1 during Olympic Games at Barcelona.

Charitable efforts

Robinson will not only be remembered for his outstanding accomplishments throughout his NBA career, but also for his contributions in his community.

In 1991, Robinson visited with fifth graders at Gates Elementary School in San Antonio and challenged them to finish school and go to college. He offered a $2,000 scholarship to everyone who did. In 1998, proving even better than his word, Robinson awarded $8,000 to each of those students who had completed his challenge. In perhaps his greatest civic and charitable achievement, David and his wife, Valerie, founded the Carver Academy in San Antonio, which opened its doors in September 2001. To date, the Robinsons have donated more than $9 million to the school, believed to be the largest contribution ever made by a professional athlete.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to charity, in March 2003, the NBA renamed its award for outstanding charitable efforts in honor of Robinson. Winners of the NBA's Community Assist Award receive the David Robinson Plaque, with the inscription "Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece." The award is given out monthly by the league to recognize players for their charitable efforts.

Iraq War controversy

Robinson criticized then Dallas Mavericks players Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel for their criticism of the United States just after the March 2003 Iraq War had begun. The March 25, 2003 Oakland Tribune tells it this way.

It all started with Nash wearing a T-shirt to All-Star activities in Atlanta that said, "No War. Shoot for Peace." Nash continued his protest of the war, as reporters asked him about his shirt and his beliefs, up until and after the first U.S. bombs hit Iraq last week. Those who haven't been receptive to Nash are those that don't think a basketball player should be using his forum to speak out on politics, especially a Canadian basketball player.

"From the start, I spoke out just because I don't want to see the loss of life," Nash told ESPN. "People are mistaking anti-war as being unpatriotic. This has nothing to do with the fact that I'm from Canada. This is a much bigger issue. But now that we're in battle, I hope for as many lives to be spared as possible (and) as little violence as possible before a resolution."

Dallas played San Antonio last week and Spurs center David Robinson, a former Navy officer, didn't like what Nash had to say. He also took exception to Nash's teammate, Nick Van Exel, saying the war initiative gave Americans a bad name.

"I get a little bit upset," Robinson said. "The time for debate is really beforehand. Obviously history will speak on whether this was the right thing or the wrong thing, but right now (the soldiers) are out there. Support'em. There's plenty of time for commentary later. If it's an embarrassment to them, maybe they should be in a different country, because this is America and we're supposed to proud of the guys we elected and put in office."

Notes

1. ^ http://www.gijobs.net/gijobs/index.cfm?event=Columns&id=187
2. ^ SPORTS OF THE TIMES; THE ROBINSON PLOT THICKENS, The New York Times, May 18, 1987.
3. ^ The Summer Our Ship Came In, Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, May 20, 2007.
4. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.nba.com/history/players/robinson_bio.html
5. ^ http://www.nba.com/history/standings/19881989.html
6. ^ databasebasketball.com,San Antonio (112) @ LA Clippers (97) (April 24, 1994) accessed January 26, 2007
7. ^ http://www.nba.com/history/players/50greatest.html
8. ^ 1986 USA Basketball

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game
• List of Individual NBA Scoring Champions

External links

• David Robinson Player Info at NBA.com
• David Robinson Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
• David Robinson @ NBA.com/History
• Career statistics
• 1987 Oscar Robertson Trophy

Preceded by Johnny Dawkins	Naismith College Player of the Year (Men) 1987	Succeeded by Danny Manning
Preceded by Walter Berry	John R. Wooden Award Winners (Men) 1987	Succeeded by Danny Manning
Preceded by Lisa L. Ice Jon L. Louis Cheryl Miller John C. Moffet Dub W. Myers Megan L. Neyer	Today's Top VIII Award Class of 1988 Regina K. Cavanaugh Charles D. Cecil Keith J. Jackson Gordon C. Lockbaum Mary T. Meagher David Robinson	Succeeded by Dylann Duncan Suzanne T. McConnell Betsy Mitchell Anthony P. Phillips Thomas K. Schlesinger Mark M. Stepnoski
Preceded by Brad Daugherty	NBA first overall draft pick 1987 NBA Draft	Succeeded by Danny Manning
Preceded by Mitch Richmond	NBA Rookie of the Year 1990	Succeeded by Derrick Coleman
Preceded by Hakeem Olajuwon	NBA Most Valuable Player 1994–95	Succeeded by Michael Jordan

National Basketball Association number one overall Draft picks

McNeeley • Tonkovich • Shannon • Share • Melchiorre • Workman • Beck • Selvy • Ricketts • Green • Hundley • Baylor • Boozer • Robertson • Bellamy • McGill • Heyman • Barnes • Hetzel • Russell • Walker • Hayes • Alcindor • Lanier • Carr • L. Martin • Collins • Walton • D. Thompson • Lucas • Benson • M. Thompson • E. Johnson • Carroll • Aguirre • Worthy • Sampson • Olajuwon • Ewing • Daugherty • D. Robinson • Manning • Ellison • Coleman • L. Johnson • O'Neal • Webber • G. Robinson • Smith • Iverson • Duncan • Olowokandi • Brand • K. Martin • Brown • Yao • James • Howard • Bogut • Bargnani • Oden

1992 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – "Dream Team"
Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Clyde Drexler | Patrick Ewing | Magic Johnson | Michael Jordan Christian Laettner | Karl Malone | Chris Mullin | Scottie Pippen | David Robinson | John Stockton
Coach: Chuck Daly

1996 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – United States
Charles Barkley | Penny Hardaway | Grant Hill | Karl Malone | Reggie Miller | Hakeem Olajuwon Shaquille O'Neal | Gary Payton | Scottie Pippen | Mitch Richmond | David Robinson | John Stockton
Coach: Lenny Wilkins

San Antonio Spurs 1998-99 NBA Champions
0 Gaze | 2 Jackson | 6 Johnson | 12 Kersey | 17 Elie | 21 Duncan (Finals MVP) | 25 Kerr | 31 Rose | 32 Elliott | 33 Daniels | 40 King | 50 Robinson | 41 Perdue | -- Williams | Coach Popovich

San Antonio Spurs 2002-03 NBA Champions
3 Jackson | 8 Smith | 9 Parker | 10 Claxton | 12 Bowen | 20 Ginobili | 21 Duncan (Finals MVP) | 25 Kerr | 31 Rose | 35 Ferry | 42 Willis | 50 Robinson | Coach Popovich

National Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar • Nate Archibald • Paul Arizin • Charles Barkley • Rick Barry • Elgin Baylor • Dave Bing • Larry Bird • Wilt Chamberlain • Bob Cousy • Dave Cowens • Billy Cunningham • Dave DeBusschere • Clyde Drexler • Julius Erving • Patrick Ewing • Walt Frazier • George Gervin • Hal Greer • John Havlicek • Elvin Hayes • Magic Johnson • Sam Jones • Michael Jordan • Jerry Lucas • Karl Malone • Moses Malone • Pete Maravich • Kevin McHale • George Mikan • Earl Monroe • Hakeem Olajuwon • Shaquille O'Neal • Robert Parish • Bob Pettit • Scottie Pippen • Willis Reed • Oscar Robertson • David Robinson • Bill Russell • Dolph Schayes • Bill Sharman • John Stockton • Isiah Thomas • Nate Thurmond • Wes Unseld • Bill Walton • Jerry West • Lenny Wilkens • James Worthy

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