Dr Dave Adkins and why he should be in the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame
February 14, 2021
David Robinson
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 4/03/69
- Place of Birth: Joplin, Missouri (USA)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 208
- Weight (KG): 108
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Missouri–Kansas City (1987–1992)
NBL CAREER OVERVIEW
NBL DEBUT
18/06/93
Age 24
LAST NBL GAME
1/10/93
Age 24
TEAM HISTORY
1 seasons | 1 team- 1993A3
Adelaide 36ers1 season
CHAMPIONSHIPS
NoneBIO: David Robinson was born in Joplin, Missouri (USA). He finished his high school career early with a broken collarbone in the middle of his senior year. Several Big Eight schools, along with Vanderbilt, had recruited him hard until the injury and afterwards backed away from him. He later received a scholarship to Missouri-Kansas City University.
NBL EXPERIENCE
David Robinson made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 24 years of age. He scored 21 points in his first game.
After two losing seasons under coach Don Shipway, Adelaide hired American coach Don Monson to replace him and steer the team back to its winning ways. With the 36ers still regrouping from the loss of Australian Boomers big man Mark Bradtke (to Melbourne), they built up the team’s frontcourt by adding Chris Blakemore, a talented young big man from the Australian Institute of Sport, import Paris McCurdy and welcomed back former 36er Willie Simmons (via Canberra). Key additions to the back court included Australian Boomers guard Phil Smyth (via Canberra) and the return of local prodigy Scott Ninnis (via South East Melbourne) who had spent two seasons playing under Brian Goorjian in Melbourne.
After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn’t what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake.
Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs.
Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league’s Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours.
Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne.
David Robinson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 19 NBL games.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 24 | Adelaide | 14-12 (7) | 19 | 660 | 348 | 170 | 46 | 54 | 116 | 13 | 16 | 72 | 81 | 147 | 260 | 57% | 0 | 2 | 0% | 54 | 77 | 70% | 59% | 57% | 33 | Totals | 19 | 660 | 348 | 170 | 46 | 54 | 116 | 13 | 16 | 72 | 81 | 147 | 260 | 56.5% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 54 | 77 | 70.1% | 59% | 57% | 33 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 24 | Adelaide | 14-12 (7) | 19 | 34.7 | 18.3 | 8.9 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 6.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 7.7 | 13.7 | 57% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 2.8 | 4.1 | 70% | 59% | 57% | 33 | Total | 19 | 34.7 | 18.3 | 8.9 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 6.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 7.7 | 13.7 | 56.5% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0% | 2.8 | 4.1 | 70.1% | 59% | 57% | 33 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 33 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
Robinson became the first player taken overall in the Global Basketball Association. He was selected by the Mississippi Coast Sharks. Later that summer, he played some ball with the Miami Tropics of the United States Basketball League (USBL), which turned out to be coached by John Lucas II, a former NBA player and coach.
The next year he tried out for the Los Angeles Clippers, but despite being unable to crack their roster, ended up with an opportunity to play for a team in Hong Kong.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
-
Canada – Montreal (1993) | Hong Kong – (1993) | Philippines – (1993) | France – CO Saint-Brieuc (1994–1995), Le Havre (1995–1996), Élan Chalon (1997–2000, 2002–2003), Strasbourg IG (2000–2001), Cholet Basket (2001–2002), Hyères-Toulon (2002–2003), Levallois (2003–2004), Gries-Oberhoffen (2004–2006) | Greece – Olimpia Larisa (2002–2003) | Germany – SG Braunschweig (1996–1997)
Robinson played professionally in Canada and Hong Kong before joining CO Saint-Brieuc for 1994–95 in Frances second division (Pro B). According to historical records published by Chalon and Cholet, he played 16 league games at 15.4 points and 9.6 rebounds in 36.5 minutes. The previous biographys 15.4 rebounds was a mistaken use of the points figure. In 1995–96 Robinson played 30 Pro B games for STB Le Havre at 18.4 points and 9.3 rebounds in 34.8 minutes, making 63.1 percent of two-pointers and 81.9 percent of free throws. Both lower-division campaigns preceded his 1996–97 German stint.
For 1996–97, Robinson represented SG Braunschweig in the German Basketball Bundesliga, as corroborated by both Cholet Baskets historical career register and the official BBL Braunschweig season roster (listed as D. Robinson, 2.07 metres). Braunschweig reached the 1997 Bundesliga quarterfinal stage; the official season record documents a four-game quarterfinal series, although it does not establish Robinsons individual participation in each game or his season appearance totals. His first-division German club stint must remain separate from the French Pro B seasons that preceded it and the later French top-flight games. After his German season he returned to France with Élan Chalon. In 1997–98 he played 30 Pro A regular-season games at 9.9 points and 4.7 rebounds; in 1998–99 he played 30 at 10.6 points and 4.5 rebounds, totaling 319 points and 136 rebounds; and in 1999–2000 he played 29 at 8.3 points and 3.7 rebounds. Robinson then joined Strasbourg for 2000–01 and played 30 French league regular-season games at 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist, followed by five distinct championship playoff games at 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He joined Cholet Basket for 2001–02, playing 24 regular-season games at 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds. The Strasbourg playoffs are not included in the 30-game regular-season line.
In 2002–03 Robinson divided his playing time between Hyères-Toulon in France, Olimpia Larisa in Greeces top division and a return to Chalon. Chalons original club archive records 17 French Pro A regular-season games at 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.8 minutes, separate from his Greek stint. His later French playing clubs included Levallois in 2003–04 (Nationale 1) and Gries-Oberhoffen in 2004–06 (national lower divisions); these must not be counted as additional top-flight games.
COLLEGE
David Robinson played NCAA Division I basketball for University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) across the late 1980s and early 1990s, and UMKC’s own record books credit him with 1,211 career points while setting the program’s career field-goal percentage mark at .584 (minimum 200 attempts).
He finished his high school career early with a broken collarbone in the middle of his senior year, and several Big Eight Conference schools, along with Vanderbilt University, recruited him hard until the injury and then backed away, before he ultimately earned a scholarship to Missouri–Kansas City University.
Robinson played for the Kangaroos in 1987–88, making 22 appearances with two starts as a freshman and averaging 1.1 points and 0.5 rebounds. He moved into a larger role in 1988–89, starting 20 of 26 games and averaging 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks; he shot 50 per cent from the field and recorded 39 blocks.
In the 1989–90 season at UMKC, Robinson averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, and UMKC’s record book credits him with 167 total rebounds that year.
In his six-game 1990–91 season, Robinson appeared in only six games (five starts) for UMKC, averaging 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.5 minutes per contest, while the team finished 15–14.
Robinson’s biggest NCAA year came in 1991–92, when he averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and shot a program-record .634 from the field (199 makes on 314 attempts), with UMKC’s record book also listing him for 190 total rebounds that season.
That 1991–92 team finished 20–8 on court (21–7 including a forfeit), which the school has described as the best overall mark in UMKC’s Division I era, and the season included wins over Texas A&M (twice) along with victories over Baylor and Creighton.
Defensively, UMKC’s single-season leaders lists show Robinson among the program’s top shot-blocking seasons, including 45 blocks in 1991–92 (1.6 per game) and 39 blocks in 1988–89, reflecting multi-year rim protection production in addition to his scoring efficiency.
Robinson completed his UMKC career with 1,211 points, 544 rebounds, 125 blocks and 94 steals in 108 games (80 starts), over his five seasons. He scored 20 or more points in 20 games and was inducted into the UMKC Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2010 class, with the induction held on 22 January 2011. The 1991–92 team was also inducted into the university's Hall of Fame in 2015.
AWARDS
- UMKC Athletics Hall of Fame (2010 class; inducted 22 January 2011)
- UMKC 1991–92 men's team Hall of Fame induction (2015)
Related
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