You played many years for Gregg Popovich, who graduated from the Air Force Academy, played basketball there and then served five years before returning to Air Force to start his coaching career.
And, for many kids, that plan B is probably stronger than plan A. Don’t go into college thinking, “Okay, I’ll go to class for three months or six months and then I’m not going anymore.” Take advantage of this opportunity because that’s going to lay the foundation for your plan B. When I talk to kids all over, I tell them, “The opportunity to get a scholarship and the opportunity to go to college is so valuable.” The pie in the sky is playing in the NBA, but getting that college education is a real value.
And obviously, getting an education is going to give you the strongest foundation for that backup plan. You can always have that game-plan and say, “I want to make it to the NBA.” But you better have adjustments that you’re ready to make if the time comes. The game-plan rarely works the exact way you want it to, and it’s the same way in life. No, you have a game-plan and then you make adjustments when your game-plan starts to fail and isn’t working the way you were hoping. When you go into a game, there isn’t just one game-plan that you refuse to alter. Look at it like a game-plan in basketball.
#Tim duncan david robinson pro
How important is it for young players to focus on academics and have a backup plan in case pro basketball doesn’t work out?ĭR: There’s no question that everybody needs a backup plan, even the top athletes that we’re talking about. Along the same lines of what you were just saying, a lot of young players don’t focus much on academics because they’re on the NBA radar from a young age and know they only need to attend college for one year. You scored 1320 out of 1600 on your SAT and majored in mathematics at the Naval Academy. Now, I have three boys and I told them, “That time is going to be the best time of your life, so go enjoy it!” I thoroughly enjoyed my time on a college campus.
#Tim duncan david robinson professional
I think that’s the true value of college, especially because 99 percent of these kids aren’t going to play in a professional league anywhere. I think when we talk about college and student-athletes in this era we live in now, the value of being on a college campus and the value of growing as an individual during that time. That’s where I think helped me the most – it gave me a proper focus and allowed me to understand that going to college was a real privilege and real opportunity for me to grow in ways that I could have never imagined. I figured that academics was going to be my ticket. In what ways was that late growth spurt an advantage for you?ĭavid Robinson: I’m a bit of an unusual case, especially these days because kids are identified when they’re 12 years old! I was a guy who came into my senior year of high school without much basketball experience and I hadn’t even considered the thought of playing college sports. Then, he entered the Naval Academy and grew to 7-foot-1, which made him too tall for duty since he’d have trouble fitting aboard ships, aircraft or submarines, according to a Navy statement. For those who don’t know, David was 5-foot-9 in junior high and 6-foot-6 as a senior in high school. I want to start with your growth-spurt story and path to the NBA because it must sound like an urban legend to younger fans. HoopsHype sat down with the legendary San Antonio Spurs center to discuss his time at the Naval Academy, his work with the Wounded Warrior Project, his relationship with fellow military man Gregg Popovich, how much the NBA has changed since his playing days, his favorite big men to watch today, the dominant one-two punch he formed with Tim Duncan and much more. Michael Jordan is the only other player to win all three awards. Robinson led the NBA in scoring (1994), rebounds (1991) and blocks (1992), joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only two players to lead the NBA in all three categories. The two-time champion was also Rookie of the Year in 1990, Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 (averaging a 4.5 blocks and 2.3 steals!) and Most Valuable Player in 1995. Over the course of his 14-year career, the Hall of Famer averaged 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1.4 steals. Because the 52-year-old won’t run through his some of his achievements and stats, we’ll do it for him. In fact, he downplays his tremendous success by bringing up other extraordinary players or redirecting credit to his teammates and coaches. He’s not one to boast about his accomplishments or argue about his place in history. David Robinson is one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he’s also one of the humblest legends of all-time.
0 kommentar(er)
