Monroe: Robinson’s Name Among Hall Finalists

[duncan228]

Robinson’s name among Hall finalists
Mike Monroe

PHOENIX — David Robinson remembers his first visit to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield, Mass.

It was October 1986, his Navy Midshipmen scheduled for the Hall of Fame Classic that tips off the college season.

There was time, of course, to visit the Hall. The Spurs great, who was announced Friday as a finalist for induction in the Hall of Fame Class of 2009, strolled through the museum and peered at the plaques honoring the game’s greatest players, coaches and contributors. He took in the names: Chamberlain, Russell, Cousy, Pet , Mikan and Robertson.

“I remember thinking that I would never be in the Hall of Fame myself, so that’s the first thing that came back to my mind when they told me (about being a finalist). I said, ‘Wow, I have a chance to be part of that thing.’”

Robinson is one of three players placed on the final ballot Friday in their first year of eligibility for the Hall. The other two are Michael Jordan, a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals.

Robinson said Jordan and Stockton are “locks” to be selected, but wouldn’t address the probability of his own enshrinement.

Shaquille O’Neal, the former Cole High School star who will head to the Hall someday himself, does not have any doubts.

Standing ramrod straight and snapping a crisp salute after Friday’s announcement, the Phoenix Suns center pronounced: “Admiral, you’re going in the Hall of Fame.”

Robinson’s humility won’t allow such presumption.

“I’ll hold my breath,” he said, “and wait for the voting.”

There are 16 total finalists that will go before the 24-member honors committee. A finalist needs 18 votes to be chosen, but it is likely a given that Robinson will be selected with Jordan and Stockton, two of his teammates on the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team.”

The Class of 2009 will be announced April 6 in Detroit before the NCAA men’s championship game. Enshrinement festivities will be held Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass.

“I can tell you this,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. “There’s nobody any more deserving of being in the Hall than David.”

Robinson’s basketball accomplishments include 1987 College Player of the Year at Navy, four first-team All-NBA selections, the 1995 NBA MVP Award, two NBA les, and two Olympic gold medals.

Gregg Popovich, who coached Robinson when he earned two NBA championship rings, believes Robinson’s basketball achievements are exceeded only by his character.

“Anyone who has any understanding of life and how it works and its priorities would rather be a good person than a great player,” Popovich said, “and David doesn’t have any worries in that regard.”

Robinson’s selflessness was on display in 1997 when Tim Duncan joined the Spurs after being the College Player of the Year as a senior at Wake Forest. Understanding immediately that Duncan was a more skilled offensive player in the pivot, Robinson sacrificed his own offensive game to speed Duncan’s development as an All-Star big man.

“As good as Tim was, it was a no-brainer,” Robinson said. “To me, it wasn’t a lessening of importance, and he still looked to me for leadership. But Tim is a phenomenal scorer and just a great presence in the paint.

“Why would you not want a great scorer to do his job? I told him, ‘Hey, it’s obvious to me you’re a much better scorer than I am, so I’m going to put you in a position where you can be successful.’

“I didn’t care how many points I scored, and it was obvious that first year that Tim didn’t, either. That’s when I knew he was going to be a truly great player.”

Today, Duncan understands that landing on a team that already had a future Hall of Fame big man was good fortune beyond imagining.

“When you’re younger you don’t really realize what you have in the situation you’re walking into,” Duncan said. “I appreciate even more now, looking back, being able to walk into a situation where a proven guy like David, and an unselfish teammate like him is there. I don’t think there could have been a more perfect situation for me.”

Duncan returned the favor in Robinson’s final game for the Spurs, the championship-clinching Game 6 of the 2003 Finals. He scored 21 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, had 10 assists and barely missed a quadruple double, with eight blocked shots.

Meanwhile, Robinson scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, enjoying his farewell performance on the Spurs’ home court.

“It was an amazing way to end a career, he said. “Can you even dream of walking off the court with streamers flying and knowing this is the last time you’re going to be on a court? It was the perfect ending.

“Your career is a series of ups and downs, and I couldn’t have planned it any better. How many guys get a chance to enjoy that?”

And if he is, in fact, elected to the Hall of Fame?

“That will be the cherry on top of everything,” he said.

[whottt]

Even if Dave didn't have the NBA numbers, the fact that he has an NBA award named after him pretty much guarantees his election. It was awesome when Shaq and Zo were given David Robinson Community Assist awards .



One impressive thing about this years nominees...if not for MJ's stint with the Wizards, all three of the first time nominees, Robinson, Stockton and Jordan would have spent their entire careers with the same team. Talk about rare by todays standards...just having 2 players that did it in Robinson and Stockton is pretty amazing.

[whottt]

Jordan, Stockton, Robinson lead 16 hall finalists
By ANDREW BAGNATO – 12 hours ago

PHOENIX (AP) — Michael Jordan, John Stockton and David Robinson were among the 16 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Friday.

NBA coaches Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women's coach C. Vivian Stringer also made the cut from a field of 164 nominees, as did former NBA stars Dennis Johnson, Chris Mullin and Bernard King, and two-time WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper.

"I'll step out on a limb and speak for all of them and say thank you," said Robinson, the former San Antonio stalwart and lone finalist who attended the announcement during NBA All-Star Game festivities. "We understand the honor that goes along with being nominated. We know everyone doesn't get in."

The election announcement will be made on April 6 at the NCAA Final Four in Detroit, with enshrinement in September at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. All 16 finalists may be elected, according to Hall policy.

Jordan, regarded by many as the greatest player in history, led the Bulls to six NBA les and won an NCAA championship at North Carolina. He was a five-time NBA MVP and a six-time NBA Finals MVP. He also won two Olympic gold medals.

Jordan and Stockton dueled in two memorable NBA Finals, with Jordan's Chicago Bulls defeating Stockton's Utah Jazz in 1997 and 1998.

Stockton retired as the NBA's career leader in assists and steals, and he also won a pair of Olympic gold medals.

Jordan and Stockton were teammates on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, and now they're poised to enter the Hall together.

"I mean, those two are a lock," Robinson said. "But think about the rest of these guys. Who's not going to get in?"

Other finalists include former Golden State coach Al Attles, who was nominated as a contributor; Bob Hurley Sr., who has more than 900 wins at St. Anthony's High School in New Jersey; Vladimir Kondrashin, who coached the Soviet Union to the 1972 Olympic gold medal, defeating the U.S. in a controversial final; Pereira "Ubiratan" Maciel, a player known as "The King" in his native Brazil; Richie Guerin, a six-time NBA All-Star with the New York Knicks and a former player-coach with the St. Louis and Atlanta Hawks; and Johnny "Red" Kerr, a longtime Chicago Bulls commentator who was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1967 after leading the expansion Bulls into the playoffs in their first season.



http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...SmHMQD96ASK5O0

[whottt]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3443

Tim Duncan talks about David Robinson
February 13, 2009 · Filed Under All-Star, General, San Antonio Spurs
Here’s what San Antonio Spurs superstars Tim Duncan said Friday in Phoenix at NBA All-Star Weekend about former teammate David Robinson.

Question: First of all, David Robinson. One of the 16 finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame, how do you feel about that?

Tim Duncan: Easy decision. I’m happy for him. What he has been through over the years, his career, how he has touched people on and off the basketball courts, what he has done, just a great guy and glad that it’s done for on his first try.

Question: What has he meant to you in your career?

Tim Duncan: Well, he has always been like a big brother to me, ever since day one walking in there, he has always been my big brother on the court, showing me how things are done off the court, just being there for me. So, as I said, just really excited for him.

Question: How about as far as him helping you develop your games, perhaps?

Tim Duncan: I think more than anything he helped me develop my game by being there, by being next to me, taking the pressure off of me, allowing me to mature and become the player I could be on my own time instead of being forced in there in a situation where I’m the number one pick and have to be the man right off the back. It was a great situation for me.

[whottt]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3905350

Jordan among 16 Naismith Hall finalistsComment Email Print Share Associated Press

PHOENIX -- David Robinson has received a big endorsement for his enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

"I told Dave something I never told anyone in my life before: I told him he deserved it," Shaquille O'Neal said on Friday, when Robinson, Michael Jordan and John Stockton were among the 16 Hall finalists announced during NBA All-Star Game festivities. "I told him that he was always my favorite player."

O'Neal, the Phoenix Suns center making his 15th All-Star Game appearance, said Robinson was his favorite "because he had the spin-lob thing. He always ran the court. He was a nice-looking guy, so when I was in high school, designing my game, I picked him, Patrick Ewing and Rony Seikaly."


Airing It Out
The Hall of Fame's election announcement will be made April 6 at the NCAA Final Four in Detroit, with enshrinement in September at the Hall in Springfield, Mass. All 16 finalists are eligible:

Michael Jordan John Stockton
David Robinson Don Nelson
Jerry Sloan C. Vivian Stringer
Dennis Johnson Chris Mullin
Bernard King Cynthia Cooper
Al Attles Bob Hurley Sr.
Vladimir Kondrashin Pereira "Ubiratan" Maciel
Richie Guerin Johnny "Red" Kerr

NBA coaches Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women's coach C. Vivian Stringer also made the cut from a field of 164 nominees, as did former NBA stars Dennis Johnson, Chris Mullin and Bernard King, and two-time WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper.

"I'll step out on a limb and speak for all of them and say thank you," said Robinson, the former San Antonio stalwart and lone finalist who attended the announcement of the finalists. "We understand the honor that goes along with being nominated. We know everyone doesn't get in."

The election announcement will be made on April 6 at the NCAA Final Four in Detroit, with enshrinement in September at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. All 16 finalists may be elected, according to Hall policy.

Jordan, regarded by many as the greatest player in history, led the Bulls to six NBA les and won an NCAA championship at North Carolina. He was a five-time NBA MVP and a six-time NBA Finals MVP. He also won two Olympic gold medals.

Jordan and Stockton dueled in two memorable NBA Finals, with Jordan's Chicago Bulls defeating Stockton's Utah Jazz in 1997 and 1998.

Stockton retired as the NBA's career leader in assists and steals, and he also won a pair of Olympic gold medals.

Jordan and Stockton were teammates on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, and now they're poised to enter the Hall together.

"I mean, those two are a lock," Robinson said. "But think about the rest of these guys. Who's not going to get in?"

Other finalists include former Golden State coach Al Attles, who was nominated as a contributor; Bob Hurley Sr., who has more than 900 wins at St. Anthony's High School in New Jersey; Vladimir Kondrashin, who coached the Soviet Union to the 1972 Olympic gold medal, defeating the U.S. in a controversial final; Pereira "Ubiratan" Maciel, a player known as "The King" in his native Brazil; Richie Guerin, a six-time NBA All-Star with the New York Knicks and a former player-coach with the St. Louis and Atlanta Hawks; and Johnny "Red" Kerr, a longtime Chicago Bulls commentator who was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1967 after leading the expansion Bulls into the playoffs in their first season.


Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

[duncan228]

Nice whottt. You must be smiling.

The Duncan one I got.

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116931

[Capt Bringdown]

Question: What has he meant to you in your career?

Tim Duncan: Well, he has always been like a big brother to me, ever since day one walking in there, he has always been my big brother on the court, showing me how things are done off the court, just being there for me. So, as I said, just really excited for him.

Nice photo:

[duncan228]

This seems to be the article thread for Robinson.

David Robinson the Role Model
From Role Model to Mentor

In my book, Squires to Knights - Mentoring Our Teenage Boys I wrote a chapter led: From Role Model to Mentor. While role models are great, it’s mentoring that really gets the job done. Role models may never interact with the kids who are watching and learning. Mentoring allows a protege to get inside the mind and heart of his mentor.

David Robinson has gone the extra mile. He is more than just a role model. He’s a mentor. He gets involved with kids beyond the P.R. video clips we see on TV. He founded a school in San Antonio and stays actively involved with the kids. But he also makes clear to the general public why he is who he is.

How to Raise an MVP

From How to Raise an MVP (ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1996)we learn more about this man:

“He is a role model not just because “The Admiral” is basketball’s quickest, most versatile center, but because he neither smokes nor drinks, because he preaches the virtues of church and school and the vice of sex and drugs, because he’s smart and mul alented and the ultimate success story, whether you’re talking backboards, keyboards or college boards.

In an era when so many of us turn to our sports stars only to find them sadly lacking, David Robinson is a true role model.

For all his fame and fortune, David values faith and family ahead of all else.”

David the Christian

And then we hear directly from the Admiral:

“Becoming a Christian has changed by basketball life because it’s given me more of a purpose and determination. When I used to play for myself and my own glory, sometimes it was so much harder to be motivated. Because at what point do you have enough money? At what point do you have enough fame? How do you get over the little aches and pains? How do you find the motivation to get up and work out and push yourself harder and harder and harder? Some people have that drive in them. But I never really had that drive. If I could do things well enough for everybody’s satisfaction, that was enough. Until people pushed me, I never went past that. But God gave me another reason to excel. He gave me something beyond what anyone on Earth has ever given me. God saw in me a perfection, a place to go I could never envision. It was like letting my father down if I didn’t reach for that. I don’t know what my potential is. I don’t know what God has in store for me, but if I don’t go get it, if I don’t push myself toward it, then I have cheated God. There’s no way, when I come before him, that I want him to ask me, “What did you do with what I gave you?” and I have to say, “I buried it in the ground.”

"I have an unbelievable responsibility on the basketball floor to honor what God has given me. It’s far more than what I feel toward the fans, and it’s far more than what I feel toward the people who pay me or what I feel even toward my teammates. I have a responsibility to come out here and work, make myself better and better, and not for my glory and honor but for His. So that’s my drive. God doesn’t want wimps. he wants warriors.”