Hyunjung Lee
February 20, 2024
Justin Robinson
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 12/10/97
- Place of Birth: Manassas, Virginia (USA)
- Position: PG
- Height (CM): 185
- Weight (KG): 88
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Virginia Tech (2015-2019)
- NBL DEBUT: 18/09/22
- AGE AT DEBUT: 24
- LAST NBL GAME: 13/03/24
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: Illawarra 2023-24
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Justin Robinson was born and raised in Manassas, Virginia (USA). There he attended St. James School in Hagerstown.
He originally attended Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland, playing basketball mostly as a reserve player and was a teammate of future NBA player Justin Anderson. He transferred to St. James School, Maryland before his junior year. He immediately became a starter at St. James and averaged 13 points and six assists per game in his junior season.
As a senior, Robinson averaged 21.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game and was named the Washington County Player of the Year, Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year, and a Parade All-American.
He was rated a three-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals.com and committed to play college basketball at Virginia Tech over offers from UNLV and Providence.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Justin Robinson made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 24 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game.
After two straight seasons of reaching the NBL semi finals, head coach Brian Goorjian would exit the Hawks, signing a deal to coach the Bay Area Dragons in the newly established East Asia Super League. Goorjian’s longtime assistant Jacob Jackomas would be elevated in the role of the head coach and look to continue the success of the prior two seasons. However, this wasn’t to be, as Illawarra would see a mass exodus of talent after the coaching change, retaining only Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling from the Hawk’s main rotation. Duop Reath (to Lebanon) and Justinian Jessup (to Spain) heading overseas, Antonius Cleveland (to Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (to Melbourne), Harry Froling (to Brisbane) signing with other NBL team’s and the retirement of longtime Hawk, AJ Ogilvy.
Illawarra would replace the outgoing talent with locals Deng Deng (via Brisbane), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (via Perth) and Mangok Mathiang, who had been playing in the NBL1 state competition as he recovered from a long-term injury before finalising the roster with imports Justin Robinson and George King both signing one-year deals.
On signing with the Hawks coach Jacob Jackomas described Robinson as “a great ball defender, key facilitator and most importantly a scorer”.
In the Hawks first game for NBL23 Robinson suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee against the Kings. The import guard sustained the injury in the third quarter and was able to play the match out under duress. After meeting with orthopaedic specialists, it was determined that surgery was the preferred option to ensure a successful recovery. Unfortunately, the procedure is likely to end his debut NBL season prematurely. Kevin White was upgraded to the team roster as his replacement.
Illawarra (3-25) would finish the year with the worst record in club history. Tyler Harvey (18.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals) led the team in scoring, and Sam Froling (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) won the Hawk’s MVP award.
2023/24
After a glut of player injuries, Illawarra compiled their worst record in NBL history (3-25), the Hawks were looking for a fresh start in Jacob Jackomas‘ second year as head coach.
Thanks to Perth wanting to move on from veteran Todd Blanchfield, and being happy to cover part of his remaining contract, the Hawks were able to acquire him in a buy-out. With an eye towards the future, young talent Mason Peatling (via Melbourne), Biwali Bayles (via Sydney) and former Adelaide 36ers development player, Lachlan Olbrich (via NCAA) were signed. At the same time, Korean shooter Hyunjung Lee was signed using the NBL’s ‘Asian player’ rule and NBA prospect AJ Johnson was brought in under the NBL’s Next Stars Program.
Robinson, who managed just one game before suffering a season-ending injury in 2022, returned to full health, and NBA veteran Gary Clark signed as the team’s third import. Long-serving import Tyler Harvey, captain Sam Froling and guards Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, William “Davo” Hickey and Daniel Grida returned as the Hawk’s core group.
Illawarra showed promising signs during the pre-season, but once the regular season got underway, Illawarra seemed to revert to its old ways, continuing to produce disappointing losses.
Despite solid performances on the court from the likes of Clark (17 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), Froling (15.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) and Harvey (15.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals), Illawarra struggled to find its foot early in the season. Hyun-Jung and Peatling began the year under an injury cloud.
By October, the Hawks were sitting at 2-4 with wins against South East Melbourne and Cairns. Illawarra suffered two more brutal defeats in the next month against Sydney and Cairns, which resulted in the team and Jackomas parting ways. Whilst the Hawks looked for a replacement, assistant Justin Tatum stepped up as interim coach.
Once Tatum arrived, they were able to turn things around and won four of their next six games. A knee sidelined Grida (5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.4 assists) after ten games, but thanks to the emergence of Will Hickey (5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and the signing of former South East Melbourne guard Kyle Adnam as an injury replacement, the Hawks continued to their winning form without missing a beat.
Despite the challenges, the Hawks continued to deliver wins under Tatum, and a late-season charge saw Illawarra finish the regular season in fourth place (14-14).
Illawarra saw a massive improvement in scoring. In the 2022/23 season, the Hawks ranked last for average points with 80.8 points per game. However, this season, they increased their offensive output to 91.6 points per game, enough to finish fourth in the league.
After making the play-in tournament, Illawarra would lose to Tasmania (92-76) in the opening game but turned things around to defeat New Zealand in a nailbiter (88-85), which earned them a spot in the semi-finals against Melbourne.
In game one, despite a solid first half by the Hawks, United would make a dramatic comeback, forcing the game into overtime and won the opening game 115-106.
Illawarra levelled the series, pushing it to a decider after defeating United in a thriller by five points. However, the Hawk’s dream run came up short, missing a Grand Final berth by six points.
Clark would deliver several big-time offensive performances, including his season-high 38 points against Cairns, which saw him voted as the Hawk’s Club MVP and be selected to the All-NBL First Team.
Robinson would appear in 33 games and average 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.
———-notes———–
Hickey turned heads with his improvement defensively and his ability to limit the impact of New Zealand’s Parker Jackson-Cartwright was highly praised. His contribution during game two of the semi-final series with the 25-year-old recording a career-high in minutes played (33) and points (18).
Justin Robinson 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks across 33 games
Justin Robinson played two seasons the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 11.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 34 NBL games.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 26 | Illawarra | 14-14 (4) | 33 | 892.0 | 396 | 92 | 145 | 17 | 75 | 31 | 7 | 70 | 76 | 134 | 322 | 42% | 40 | 126 | 32% | 88 | 107 | 82% | 53% | 48% | 26 |
| 2022-23 | 25 | Illawarra | 3-25 (10) | 1 | 31.0 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 25% | 0 | 9 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 25% | 25% | 10 | Totals | 34 | 923 | 406 | 97 | 153 | 19 | 78 | 32 | 8 | 70 | 80 | 139 | 342 | 40.6% | 40 | 135 | 29.6% | 88 | 107 | 82.2% | 52% | 46% | 26 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 26 | Illawarra | 14-14 (4) | 33 | 27.0 | 12.0 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 4.1 | 9.8 | 42% | 1.2 | 3.8 | 32% | 2.7 | 3.2 | 82% | 53% | 48% | 26 |
| 2022-23 | 25 | Illawarra | 3-25 (10) | 1 | 31.0 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 20.0 | 25% | 0.0 | 9.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 25% | 25% | 10 | Total | 34 | 27.1 | 11.9 | 2.9 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 4.1 | 10.1 | 40.6% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 29.6% | 1.2 | 4.0 | 82.2% | 52% | 46% | 26 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 26 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
He participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament following his senior season, averaging 7.7 points and six assists in three games played. He then went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Robinson played with the Washington Wizards on their 2019 Summer League team where he averaged 8.8 points 4.0 assists in five Summer League games.
Robinson then signed a deal to play with the Wizards on July 12, 2019. On October 23, 2019, Robinson made his debut in NBA, coming off from bench in a 100–108 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Robinson averaged 1.4 points per game in nine games. Robinson was waived by the Wizards on January 5, 2020.
On January 21, 2020, the Delaware Blue Coats announced that they had acquired Robinson off waivers.
On December 6, 2020, Robinson signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. On December 7, he was waived by the 76ers.
Robinson was later included again in roster of the Delaware Blue Coats announced on January 14, 2021. In 13 games, he averaged 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.1 minutes while shooting 40.5 percent from three point range, helping the Blue Coats reach the NBA G League Final.
On April 5, 2021, the Oklahoma City Thunder signed Robinson to a 10-day contract. On April 15, he signed a second 10-day contract.
Robinson joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2021 NBA Summer League.
On September 15, 2021, Robinson signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, on a two-way contract with the Wisconsin Herd. However, he was waived on November 30, after appearing in 17 games.
On December 17, 2021, Robinson signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings.
On December 28, 2021, Robinson signed a 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons.
Robinson joined the Utah Jazz for the 2022 NBA Summer League and the Charlotte Hornets for the 2023 NBA Summer League.
Robinson played 43 games in the NBA. He averaged 2.6 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game over his NBA career.
NBA TRANSACTIONS:
- July 15, 2019: Signed a contract with the Washington Wizards.
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January 5, 2020: Waived by the Washington Wizards.
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December 6, 2020: Signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
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December 7, 2020: Waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.
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April 5, 2021: Signed a 10-day contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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April 15, 2021: Signed a 2nd 10-day contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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September 14, 2021: Signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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November 29, 2021: Waived by the Milwaukee Bucks.
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December 17, 2021: Signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings.
-
December 28, 2021: Signed a 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons.
| Season | Team | PTS | AST | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 73% | 96% | 79% | 66% | ||||||
| 2 | 0 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 139 | 342 | 40.6% | 40 | 135 | 29.6% |
NBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM | POS | GP | GS | MINS | PTS | TRB | AST | ORB | DRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 24 | Milwaukee | PG | 17 | 0 | 198 | 48 | 13 | 21 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 57 | 32% | 10 | 37 | 27% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 41% | 40% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Sacramento | PG | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 13% | 0 | 3 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 13% | 13% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Detroit | PG | 5 | 0 | 91 | 28 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 28 | 32% | 8 | 21 | 38% | 2 | 6 | 33% | 46% | 46% |
| 2020-21 | 23 | Oklahoma City | PG | 9 | 0 | 88 | 21 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 33% | 4 | 14 | 29% | 3 | 5 | 60% | 45% | 43% |
| 2019-20 | 22 | Washington | PG | 9 | 0 | 49 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 42% | 3 | 5 | 60% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 54% | 54% |
| 2019-20 | 22 | Washington | PG | 9 | 0 | 49 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 42% | 3 | 5 | 60% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 54% | 54% |
| 2020-21 | 23 | Oklahoma City | PG | 9 | 0 | 88 | 21 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 33% | 4 | 14 | 29% | 3 | 5 | 60% | 45% | 43% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Milwaukee | PG | 17 | 0 | 198 | 48 | 13 | 21 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 57 | 32% | 10 | 37 | 27% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 41% | 40% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Sacramento | PG | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 13% | 0 | 3 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 13% | 13% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Detroit | PG | 5 | 0 | 91 | 28 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 28 | 32% | 8 | 21 | 38% | 2 | 6 | 33% | 46% | 46% |
| 2019-20 | 22 | Washington | PG | 9 | 0 | 49 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 42% | 3 | 5 | 60% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 54% | 54% |
| 2020-21 | 23 | Oklahoma City | PG | 9 | 0 | 88 | 21 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 33% | 4 | 14 | 29% | 3 | 5 | 60% | 45% | 43% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Milwaukee | PG | 17 | 0 | 198 | 48 | 13 | 21 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 57 | 32% | 10 | 37 | 27% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 41% | 40% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Sacramento | PG | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 13% | 0 | 3 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 13% | 13% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Detroit | PG | 5 | 0 | 91 | 28 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 28 | 32% | 8 | 21 | 38% | 2 | 6 | 33% | 46% | 46% | Total | 43 | 0 | 441 | 112 | 33 | 48 | 6 | 27 | 12 | 2 | 22 | 39 | 40 | 126 | 32% | 25 | 80 | 31% | 7 | 13 | 54% |
NBA PER GAME STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM | POS | GP | GS | MINS | PTS | TRB | AST | ORB | DRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 22 | Washington | PG | 9 | 0 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 42% | 0.3 | 0.6 | 60% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 54% | 54% |
| 2020-21 | 23 | Oklahoma City | PG | 9 | 0 | 9.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 33% | 0.4 | 1.6 | 29% | 0.3 | 0.6 | 60% | 45% | 43% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Milwaukee | PG | 17 | 0 | 11.6 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 32% | 0.6 | 2.2 | 27% | 0.1 | 0.1 | 100% | 41% | 40% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Sacramento | PG | 3 | 0 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 13% | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 13% | 13% |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Detroit | PG | 5 | 0 | 18.2 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 5.6 | 32% | 1.6 | 4.2 | 38% | 0.4 | 1.2 | 33% | 46% | 46% | Total | 43 | 0 | 10.3 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 32% | 0.6 | 1.9 | 31% | 0.2 | 0.3 | 54% |
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Italy - Trapani (2024-2025)
COLLEGE
Robinson attended Virginia Tech from 2015 to 2019, scoring 1,383 career points and become the school's all-time leader in assists.
He entered the Hokies starting lineup during his freshman season, averaging 7.3 points and 2.8 assists per game in 35 games (19 starts).In his first full season as a sophomore, Robinson averaged 10.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assist per game. As a junior, Robinson averaged 14 points and 5.6 assists (tied for second in the conference) and was named second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference. He averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 41.8% from three in 24 games in his senior season, missing 12 games due to a foot injury.
He was named the ACC Player of the Week on January 28, 2019 after scoring 35 points with eight assists in a 78–56 win over Syracuse.
AWARDS
- Second-team All-ACC (2018)
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First-team Parade All-American (2015)
Related
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