In case you forgot, or missed his prime...

[exstatic]

f1i8K-u0yFo

[ducks]

think 3/4 of this board was not even born then

[Proxy]

nice... one of those talents that could exist in any era

[illusioNtEk]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EDksoPbL3nc/maxresdefault.jpg

[illusioNtEk]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f3/a7/c4/f3a7c4e0dee06ae206528ba1340c7e9a.jpg

[illusioNtEk]

David should have played in the 04 season... still was in amazing shape.... we could have beaten the Lakers

[D Emily D]

Funny to think that had Duncan not been drafted, Robinson probably would've retired without a ring and then naysayers would've use this as evidence against him. Kinda shows how arbitrary counting rings can be.

[sananspursfan21]

That’s who made me a Spurs fan. I started a “Bulls fan” like most kids in the Jordan era. Then I started getting bored and really loved DRob. Loved his game, loved his off court/on court conduct. Then of course TD came along and stole the show. But I stood by my sentiment of Rob being my favorite Spur all-time until Tim’s continued greatness forced my hand and I changed my narrative around 06-07ish. Much love to the Admiral!!

[Phenomanul]

I saw him last Thursday... he came to Corpus to speak at the Ronald McDonald Casa de Amor Charity fundraiser gala event...

His anecdotal stories were awesome. Still a very commanding presence anywhere he goes.

As an aside he talked about Tim, Tony, Manu, Pop, Bruce, Sean and Avery so frequently that you can tell how much they all get along. They genuinely love and care for each other. He feels great about the upcoming season, he likes what DeMar DeRozan will be able to do under Pop's leadership, he loved LaMarcus's transformational season last year.

Anyways all that to say that there was no mention whatsoever of Kawhi. No endearing statement. Zip, nada, zilch... what a shame (of what could have been).

Edit: Also mentioned Antonio Daniels and Malik Rose.

[silverblackfan]

He was soo fast. He looks like a fast guard with long strides, but is also 7' and hitting the weights all the time. Amazing athlete and still seems like a great guy.
Thanks for the memories.
:bobo

[boutons_deux]

David should have played in the 04 season... still was in amazing shape.... we could have beaten the Lakers

his back was shot.

For such a good jump shooter, one of his FT in the 03 championship series was off the backboard

[SuperCam]

on the Spur player mt. rushmore, along with Tim, Tony, and Iceman.

[Rick Von Braun]

One of my favorite basketball players of all time. He had a body designed and genetically engineered for basketball. Amazing!

[gospursgojas]

Back issues all the way back to that famous 96-97 season. Amazing he he even made it another 6 years.

[Phenomanul]

He would be an absolute stud in today's NBA.

The internet would've exposed him to the grander NBA world and his legacy would be greater than how it is perceived today.

You still have some buffoons that think that KG was a better player.

It's no wonder that when Magic started drafting players for the 1992 Dream Team his 3rd call after Jordan and Bird was David.

[cool cat]

One of the few Superstars to have played against MJ in his prime and not have a losing record.

[wildbill2u]

Class act during and after his career which has only enhanced his reputation as a great basketball player. You don't get the opportunity to draft players like DRob and Timmy but once in a generation.

[SpurPadre]

on the Spur player mt. rushmore, along with Tim, Manu, and Tony.

FIFY

[DMC]

Arms like bowling balls, from lifting and thumping all those bibles

[exstatic]

Class act during and after his career which has only enhanced his reputation as a great basketball player. You don't get the opportunity to draft players like DRob and Timmy but once in a generation.

And yet, we drafted two in 10 years: 1987 and 1997. People are spoiled thinking we should win every year, but the simple fact that we added two HOF caliber bigs 8 years apart, David having to fulfill his military duty, and one was ready to hand off to the other is what set us on the path to 20 straight years of playoffs, and counting.

[Spur|n|Austin]

David should have played in the 04 season... still was in amazing shape.... we could have beaten the Lakers

Pretty hard to justify that - it's most NBA player's dream to retire as a champion.

[SuperCam]

FIFY

vamanos manutard, you don't get to give away rings to the other team and get on spur rushmore with true legends :toast

[Kobe'sAchilles]

It's a damn shame management was too cheap to put a real team around him. Also the amount of coaches he had his first 5 years in the league is staggering. People always have Grant Hill and others in the what could've been categories, but for me David Robinson is also in that category. What could've been if he didn't serve in the Navy and actually focus on bball. Imagine a person taking 2 years off from basketball and destroying opponents anyways when coming into the league, it's unheard of. What could've been if he didn't have 5 coaches in his first 6 years in the league and had some damn continuity. What could've been if he never hurt his back or Malone didn't knock him out and screw up his knee. What if the Spurs had an actual NBA backcourt instead of Avery and Vinny lol...
It just goes to show how talented and GREAT DRob was. He had all these What if's in his career and he still is top 20 all time. Fastest big man I've ever seen and quickest jump for a big man I've ever seen too. His second jump might be the greatest of all time.

[Thomas82]

One of the few Superstars to have played against MJ in his prime and not have a losing record.

Before the back injury, he was something like 8-6 against MJ.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

David should have played in the 04 season... still was in amazing shape.... we could have beaten the Lakers

Our outside shooting was atrocious in that series

[DAF86]

Robinson is one of the most underrated greats of all-time. On any relevant metric out there, you can see him right up there with the absolute best of them. Too bad he always had to play with dogshit around him untill TD came along.

[SpursforSix]

He'll go down in history as the dude that wasted all that San Antonio water during the drought.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Before Duncan, the best team David had around him was probably his rookie season. He carried scrubs to 60+ wins. If you're looking at sheer speed and physical ability there probably wasn't a better center ever to play the game.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

So awesome and underrated! Retired a champ though, nothing's better.

[cool cat]

Before the back injury, he was something like 8-6 against MJ.

Yep and during the Bulls first 3-peat he was 4-1 vs MJ, I always wished we could have made the finals to see how’d we do against them.

[snickles]

thanks so much for posting that. Five-Oh is my all time favorite ball player, and the single reason I got into basketball. I somehow never got to see him play live, but the way he played completely and totally influenced how I look at and played the game.

[DJR210]

Speed, agility, smarts, defense, rebounding, shooting, flash.. he had it all. Dave was a beast when I was a kid :tu

[TD 21]

Robinson is one of the most underrated greats of all-time. On any relevant metric out there, you can see him right up there with the absolute best of them. Too bad he always had to play with dogshit around him untill TD came along.

He is, but his regular season advanced stats are somewhat inflated by his unique career timeline. He didn't enter the league until he was 24 and exited when he was 37, so he mostly avoided pre and post prime seasons. He may not have been athletically the same after his first 7, but he was still arguably a superstar through his 12th season and arguably a star through his 13th.

In the pantheon of all-time great centers, I've got him 5-6 (can't put Chamberlain into context), behind Abdul-Jabbar, Duncan (counts as both), O'Neal, Olajuwon.

[adonis827]

Have always been a spurs fan because of DRob. My favorite spurs after he retired is Manu and perhaps my all time fav

[Phenomanul]

He is, but his regular season advanced stats are somewhat inflated by his unique career timeline. He didn't enter the league until he was 24 and exited when he was 37, so he mostly avoided pre and post prime seasons. He may not have been athletically the same after his first 7, but he was still arguably a superstar through his 12th season and arguably a star through his 13th.

In the pantheon of all-time great centers, I've got him 5-6 (can't put Chamberlain into context), behind Abdul-Jabbar, Duncan (counts as both), O'Neal, Olajuwon.

O'Neal ALWAYS played on stacked, built... errr bought for contention teams... David never had that luxury during the Red McComb years...

David routinely dropped monster numbers on a very athletic Shaq... nearly dropped a quadruple double against Shaq. Shaq later found it convenient to avoid games against the Admiral. Dave >>> Shaq. Dave actually had game away from the basket... Shaq simply learned to bulldoze his opponents (routinely getting away with murder)...

Shaq was a dominant force while paired with a MJ-light version of Kobe. David never had the luxury of having anyone of Kobe's caliber prior to Duncan's arrival - and even after Duncan arrived most of David's freakishly elite athleticism was gone.

[exstatic]

O'Neal ALWAYS played on a stacked built... errr bought for contention teams... David never had that luxury...

David routinely dropped monster numbers on a very athletic Shaq... nearly dropped a quadruple double against Shaq. Shaq later found it convenient to avoid games against the Admiral. Dave >>> Shaq. Dave actually had game away from the basket... Shaq simply learned to bulldoze his opponents (routinely getting away with murder)...

Shaq was a dominant force while paired with a MJ-light version of Kobe. David never had the luxury of having anyone of Kobe's caliber prior to Duncan's arrival - and even after Duncan arrived most of David's freakishly elite athleticism was gone.

I always said to Laker fans that a 6'8" Shaq would be Bo Outlaw, but a 6'8" DRob or a 6'8" Duncan would be All Star SFs.

[SpurPadre]

vamanos manutard, you don't get to give away rings to the other team and get on spur rushmore with true legends :toast

You have to have rings to even be on Spur rushmore, tbh cabron.

[TD 21]

O'Neal ALWAYS played on stacked, built... errr bought for contention teams... David never had that luxury during the Red McComb years...

David routinely dropped monster numbers on a very athletic Shaq... nearly dropped a quadruple double against Shaq. Shaq later found it convenient to avoid games against the Admiral. Dave >>> Shaq. Dave actually had game away from the basket... Shaq simply learned to bulldoze his opponents (routinely getting away with murder)...

Shaq was a dominant force while paired with a MJ-light version of Kobe. David never had the luxury of having anyone of Kobe's caliber prior to Duncan's arrival - and even after Duncan arrived most of David's freakishly elite athleticism was gone.

Neither the Magic or Lakers would have been contenders if you replaced O'Neal with a center in that time not named Olajuwon, Robinson, Duncan.

How O'Neal produced is irrelevant. No one is going to argue that he had the all around skills of numerous other players. Ultimately, it didn't matter because he didn't need them to dominate, nor did he need an overrated, partially pre prime Bryant.

I'm not a fan, but O'Neal is one of the 4 players I've witnessed who in his prime was a contender unto himself, along with Jordan, Duncan, James.

[Spurtacular]

on the Spur player mt. rushmore, along with Tim, Tony, and Iceman.

Tony has to wait in line behind Speedy Claxton. Sorry.

[SAGirl]

Nice thread . Never saw him play. Amazing!
Agile as a wing and great instincts on D.

[james evans]

When you hear shit repeated by young people that they've heard others say like, "Robinson was soft", that pisses me off. Robinson was the truth on all levels. His teammates weren't that good and thats what people ignore. They like to point to the 95 Rockets series, but Robinson didn't get shut down. It's just that Hakeem was playing out of his mind and no one that entire playoffs stopped him.

[james evans]

Neither the Magic or Lakers would have been contenders if you replaced O'Neal with a center in that time not named Olajuwon, Robinson, Duncan.

How O'Neal produced is irrelevant. No one is going to argue that he had the all around skills of numerous other players. Ultimately, it didn't matter because he didn't need them to dominate, nor did he need an overrated, partially pre prime Bryant.

I'm not a fan, but O'Neal is one of the 4 players I've witnessed who in his prime was a contender unto himself, along with Jordan, Duncan, James.
Jordan??? You mean the Michael Jordan that reitred and the bulls only lost 2 more games? That Jordan or are we talking about another one?

[Chinook]

Giannis before Giannis. I can't imagine how much Prime or even Rookie Admiral would dominate if dropped into this league.

[TDMVPDPOY]

compared his back injury with players with similar back injuries that ruin or rapid decline in their career...besides tmac who else?

[cool cat]

He had a 360 dunk during a game, how many legit 7” footers pull that off? I think he is the only one.

[Slippy]

Nice thread . Never saw him play. Amazing!
Agile as a wing and great instincts on D.

Also had some of the most exciting dunks you'll ever see from a big man. His speed, agility & jumping ability was something special .

My fave. A double pump 2-handed baseline dunk over 2 clipper players. He took off just outside the keyway. Never seen any big come close to performing that type of dunk.

[Seventyniner]

Giannis before Giannis. I can't imagine how much Prime or even Rookie Admiral would dominate if dropped into this league.

Two notches above AD at the very least, and that's Rookie version.

[Ice009]

Wasn't one of his knees also shot? David had an amazing upper body (looks even better than a prime Dwight Howard's body), but unfortunately his lower body didn't hold up to well. Amazing athlete and person. He's the reason I became a Spurs fan. I wish he could have played with TD, Manu, Tony in his prime. It would have been insane.

Also, when he retired, I know his body wasn't in great shape, but didn't he say something about that he decided to retire after that season and wouldn't go back on his word? I really do feel he could have played one more season, and I would have loved it if he did.

[Kobe'sAchilles]

Wasn't one of his knees also shot? David had an amazing upper body (looks even better than a prime Dwight Howard's body), but unfortunately his lower body didn't hold up to well. Amazing athlete and person. He's the reason I became a Spurs fan. I wish he could have played with TD, Manu, Tony in his prime. It would have been insane.

Also, when he retired, I know his body wasn't in great shape, but didn't he say something about that he decided to retire after that season and wouldn't go back on his word? I really do feel he could have played one more season, and I would have loved it if he did.

He messed it up when Karl Malone knocked him out in the Delta Center. He twisted it as he fell to the floor unconscious and landed on it. He was never the same after that. I still remember it to this day and being so mad because somehow the foul was on Robinson. Like the ref had the audacity to call a foul on a man who had just been knocked out. I've never seen anything like it to this day. Remember the Elbow! Also fu** Karl Malone

[Chinook]

Wasn't one of his knees also shot? David had an amazing upper body (looks even better than a prime Dwight Howard's body), but unfortunately his lower body didn't hold up to well. Amazing athlete and person. He's the reason I became a Spurs fan. I wish he could have played with TD, Manu, Tony in his prime. It would have been insane.

Also, when he retired, I know his body wasn't in great shape, but didn't he say something about that he decided to retire after that season and wouldn't go back on his word? I really do feel he could have played one more season, and I would have loved it if he did.

In the modern NBA, his lower body would not have taken nearly as much of a beating. Dude could have probably played into his 40s without that wear and tear.

[lefty]

He would be an absolute stud in today's NBA.

The internet would've exposed him to the grander NBA world and his legacy would be greater than how it is perceived today.

You still have some buffoons that think that KG was a better player.

It's no wonder that when Magic started drafting players for the 1992 Dream Team his 3rd call after Jordan and Bird was David.
Magic and Rob had great chemistry on the court

[lefty]

Tony has to wait in line behind Speedy Claxton. Sorry.

Damn

[Thomas82]

Nice thread . Never saw him play. Amazing!
Agile as a wing and great instincts on D.

I'm sorry you missed out. It was impossible to take your eyes off of him when he was in the game.

[Thomas82]

Yep and during the Bulls first 3-peat he was 4-1 vs MJ, I always wished we could have made the finals to see how’d we do against them.

The Bulls even had a couple of internal discussions about calling the Spurs and offering MJ for The Admiral straight up.

[Since89]

If only he was mean like Hakeem or Bird. He would have killed Malone. No teams would have used goons to guard him. Too Christian to hurt others.
Fuck Karl Malone most overrated player ever.

[azarel]

i also remember the admiral for his elite shot blocking... how many triple doubles can one get with blocks being one of them? both him and hakeem were competing with each other every season for the top shot blocker spot. those were the days where i actually give a damn who's the league leader in the a particular stat. these days not so much...

[Since89]

i also remember the admiral for his elite shot blocking... how many triple doubles can one get with blocks being one of them? both him and hakeem were competing with each other every season for the top shot blocker spot. those were the days where i actually give a damn who's the league leader in the a particular stat. these days not so much...
Back when fouls weren't called for any little shit contact. Goaltends were only called if it was blatant. No pussy 30 three pointers a game. Fast paced taking it to the rack with hard fouls/contact. Good times.

[Othyus Lalanne]

Class act during and after his career which has only enhanced his reputation as a great basketball player. You don't get the opportunity to draft players like DRob and Timmy but once in a generation.

I cannot believe he talked on tv to Skip and Stephen A. i would have killed both of them if i had to be in the same room for more than 2 minutes.

[Phenomanul]

Neither the Magic or Lakers would have been contenders if you replaced O'Neal with a center in that time not named Olajuwon, Robinson, Duncan.

How O'Neal produced is irrelevant. No one is going to argue that he had the all around skills of numerous other players. Ultimately, it didn't matter because he didn't need them to dominate, nor did he need an overrated, partially pre prime Bryant.

I'm not a fan, but O'Neal is one of the 4 players I've witnessed who in his prime was a contender unto himself, along with Jordan, Duncan, James.

I know what you're saying. I'm simply trying to provide the context for his success. Specifically that it wasn't related to just him alone.

[Phenomanul]

I watched them go head-to-head in the early-mid 90's before Robinson's back injury. Robinson owned Shaq.

[J_Paco]

f1i8K-u0yFo

One of the most physically gifted players and in top 3 or 5 most athletic centers conversation. I remember when someone on another board tried to say DeAndre Jordan was "more athletic" than D. Rob.

That was back when Doc Rivers would constantly compare Jordan's athleticism to Dave's. No question that big Dave was in a category with probably only Wilt and Hakeem.

[koriwhat]

:tu such a great talent and man

[DAF86]

Giannis before Giannis. I can't imagine how much Prime or even Rookie Admiral would dominate if dropped into this league.

Giannis hasn't proved to be particularly dominant on the NBA yet, tbh.

[Thomas82]

One of the most physically gifted players and in top 3 or 5 most athletic centers conversation. I remember when someone on another board tried to say DeAndre Jordan was "more athletic" than D. Rob.

That was back when Doc Rivers would constantly compare Jordan's athleticism to Dave's. No question that big Dave was in a category with probably only Wilt and Hakeem.

As far as being physically gifted, IMO the only player that might have been more gifted than The Admiral is Wilt.

[BlackSilver]

sick