American professional basketball player
David Robinson was born in 1965 in Key West, Florida. Despite playing just one year of high school basketball, Robinson went to become a star center at the U.S. Naval Academy. Selected first overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs, Robinson didn’t play for the club until 1989 because of a two-year military commitment. Hailed as one of the game’s great centers, Robinson led the Spurs to two NBA titles before retiring in 2003.
He learned to play piano by ear and at 14 was enrolled in advanced computer classes at a local college. Following Ambrose Robinson’s retirement from the Navy, the Robinsons found a permanent home in Woodbridge, Virginia, where Robinson excelled in school, both in the classroom—math in particular—and in sports. But it wasn’t until his senior year at Osbourn Park High School that the tall and agile Robinson tried his hand at playing organized basketball.
Robinson played basketball at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., leading the academy team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament in 1985, 1986, and 1987. Although Robinson proved himself one of the best collegiate players in the country, some observers considered it a gamble when the Spurs chose him with the first pick of the 1987 NBA draft, since he had to serve two years of active duty in the U.S. Navy after graduation—time when he would not play for the Spurs or play regularly against top-flight competition.
Sprouting an astonishing seven inches to 7'1", Robinson became one of the most dominant centers in all of college basketball. By his senior year he was the NCAA’s best player. He averaged 28.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game that year and went to become the College Player of the Year. That spring, in the 1987 NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected Robinson with the first overall pick.
Robinson continued to garner individual accolades throughout his early career: he was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 and the Most Valuable Player in 1995, and he earned a place on the league’s official list of the 50 greatest players in NBA history (1996), but his teams routinely disappointed in the postseason. This changed during the 1998–99 season, when Robinson teamed with second-year power forward Tim Duncan to lead the Spurs to the franchise’s first NBA championship. The duo won another title in the 2002–03 season, after which Robinson retired. At the time of his retirement, he ranked among the top 25 players in NBA history in career points and rebounds and was fourth all-time in blocked shots.
In addition to his success in the NBA, Robinson was a member of two gold medal-winning U.S. men’s basketball teams, including the NBA superstar-filled “Dream Team” that dominated the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona (he won a second gold at the 1996 Games in Atlanta).
Teammate Steve Kerr said Robinson was quick to remind the Spurs that "winning a championship doesn't make you a better person. It doesn't validate you." But championships were part of Robinson's journey through the NBA, his first one coming in his 10th year, during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, with a convincing five-game NBA Finals win over the New York Knicks.
By that time, he had become the Spurs' second option due to the rise of the phenomenal forward Tim Duncan. In their first season together in 1997-98, Robinson and Duncan shared the load equally as the elder player posted 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.63 blocks per game while the young star from Wake Forest had similar numbers of 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.51 blocks per game.
In their second campaign together, Robinson unselfishly redefined his game to accentuate the skills and strengths of Duncan. Robinson began to play away from the basket at the high post, allowing Duncan the freedom to maneuver down low. Robinson's regular season production slipped to 15.8 ppg and 10 rpg, but the team prospered and he was still an integral part of the Spurs' championship effort.
In 2009 he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Robinson, the quintessential man of faith, humbly claims that “the only thing” he does for Oak Hills is lead a weekly men’s bible study that draws a crowd of at least 200 every time. With the newfound ability to attend church services every week, Robinson relishes his leadership position, and appropriately compares his bible study to a locker room like the ones in which he spent so many years as a spiritual model for his Spurs teammates.
the Church of Christ , USA
Meet Valerie Hoggatt Robinson, wife of former NBA Star David Robinson. The pair met when Valerie was in college in Los Angeles and David was in the Reserves.
The couple married on 12/16/91 at a Baptist church in San Antonio, Texas. They have three sons.
Corey, who is the middle son of former NBA superstar David Robinson Sr., told MaxPreps, "I used to throw with him and go to his games. It was a chance to play with him.
Mike Krzyzewski will be adding some NBA royalty to his roster in 2015. Justin Robinson, son of longtime San Antonio Spur and two-time NBA champion David Robinson, gained an early acceptance notice from Duke and will join the basketball team as a walk on.
Valerie has a college degree in Business. She has worked as a Public Relations Executive and served as President for their charity organization the David Robinson Foundation.
