Alvin Robertson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Alvin Robertson

Robertson with the Arkansas Razorbacks in the early 1980s
Personal information
Born	(1962-07-22) July 22, 1962 (age 63) Barberton, Ohio, U.S.
High school	Barberton (Barberton, Ohio)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
College	Crowder College (1980–1981) Arkansas (1981–1984)
NBA Draft	1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Pro career	1984–1997
Career history
1984–1989	San Antonio Spurs
1989–1993	Milwaukee Bucks
1993	Detroit Pistons
1995–1996	Toronto Raptors
1996–1997	Florida Beach Dogs
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA All-Star (1986–1988, 1991) All-NBA Second Team (1986) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1986) 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1991) 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1986, 1988–1990) NBA Most Improved Player (1986) 3× NBA steals leader (1986, 1987, 1991) Second-team All-American – UPI (1984) Third-team All-American – AP (1984)
Career NBA statistics
Points	10,882 (14.0 ppg)
Rebounds	4,066 (5.2 rpg)
Steals	2,112 (2.7 spg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1984 Los Angeles Team competition

Alvin Cyrrale Robertson is an American former professional basketball player. He was born on July 22, 1962. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 1996. Robertson is famous for his amazing defense and for stealing the ball from opponents.

He holds the record for the most steals per game in NBA history. He averaged 2.71 steals per game throughout his career. Alvin is also the only player to ever get 300 or more steals in a single season. This happened during the 1985–86 NBA season. He is also one of only four players in NBA history to record a quadruple-double. This means he got double-digit numbers in four different stats in one game.

Early Life

Alvin Cyrrale Robertson was born in Barberton, Ohio. This was on July 22, 1962.

College Basketball

Robertson started his college basketball career at Crowder College. He played there from 1980 to 1981. After that, he went to the University of Arkansas. He played for the Arkansas team from 1981 to 1984.

Professional Career

Alvin Robertson was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1984 NBA draft. He was the seventh player picked overall. He was known for his strong defense. He played for ten years in the NBA.

Playing for the San Antonio Spurs

Robertson played for the Spurs for five seasons. He was 6 feet 4 inches tall. In 1986, he won the NBA Most Improved Player Award. This award goes to a player who has shown a lot of improvement. He also became an NBA All-Star four times. These were in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1991.

He also won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1986. This award goes to the best defensive player in the league. He led the league in steals three times. These seasons were 1986, 1987, and 1991. Robertson still has the highest career average for steals per game in the NBA. He averaged 2.71 steals over 779 games.

In the 1985–86 season, he averaged 3.7 steals per game. This helped him win the Defensive Player of the Year award. He was also chosen for the All-NBA Second Team. He is one of only seven Spurs players to get this honor.

Robertson led the Spurs in steals in four of his five seasons there. He averaged more than three steals per game three times. He is third in Spurs history for total steals, with 1,129. He also set an NBA record by getting a steal in 105 games in a row. This record was later broken by Chris Paul.

Alvin Robertson is one of only four NBA players to record a quadruple-double. This means he had double-digit numbers in four different stats in one game. On February 18, 1986, he had 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals. This happened while playing for the Spurs against the Phoenix Suns. He is the only player who is not a center to get a quadruple-double. He is also the only player to do it with steals as the fourth category.

Time with the Milwaukee Bucks

On May 28, 1989, Robertson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He continued to be a top defender for the Bucks. He led the league in steal percentage for all three of his full seasons there. He was also chosen for the All-Star team in 1991. That same season, he led the league in steals for the third time.

Playing for the Detroit Pistons

Robertson finished the 1992–93 NBA season playing for the Detroit Pistons.

Joining the Toronto Raptors

Robertson made history by scoring the very first points for the Toronto Raptors. In the team's first game, he hit a three-pointer. This gave the Raptors a 3–0 lead against the New Jersey Nets.

Playing for the Florida Beach Dogs

After his NBA career, Robertson played for the Florida Beach Dogs. He was with this team from 1996 to 1997.

Personal Life

Alvin Robertson has two sons who are also athletes. His son, Tyrell Johnson, was a football player. He was picked in the 2008 NFL Draft. His other son, Elgin Cook, is a professional basketball player. Alvin's brother, Ken Robertson, also played college basketball for Cleveland State University.

NBA Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1984–85	San Antonio	79	9	21.3	.498	.364	.734	3.4	3.5	1.6	0.3	9.2
1985–86	San Antonio	82	82	35.1	.514	.276	.795	6.3	5.5	3.7	0.5	17.0
1986–87	San Antonio	81	78	33.3	.466	.271	.753	6.3	5.2	3.2*	0.4	17.7
1987–88	San Antonio	82	82	36.3	.465	.284	.748	6.1	6.8	3.0	0.8	19.6
1988–89	San Antonio	65	65	35.2	.483	.200	.723	5.9	6.0	3.0	0.6	17.3
1989–90	Milwaukee	81	81	32.1	.503	.154	.741	6.9	5.5	2.6	0.2	14.2
1990–91	Milwaukee	81	81	32.1	.485	.365	.757	5.7	5.5	3.0*	0.2	13.6
1991–92	Milwaukee	82	79	30.0	.430	.319	.763	4.3	4.4	2.6	0.4	12.3
1992–93	Milwaukee	39	32	27.3	.479	.309	.629	3.5	4.0	2.3	0.2	8.7
1992–93	Detroit	30	22	31.4	.434	.343	.690	4.4	3.6	2.2	0.3	9.3
1995–96	Toronto	77	69	32.2	.470	.272	.677	4.4	4.2	2.2	0.5	9.3
Career		779	680	31.7	.477	.295	.743	5.2	5.0	2.7	0.4	14.0
All-Star		4	2	15.0	.389	—	1.000	3.3	1.8	0.5	—	4.5

Playoff Stats

Amazing Achievements

• He holds the 1st place all-time record for steals in a single season with 301.
• He is 1st place all-time in games with at least 5 steals (142 games).
• He is 1st place all-time in games with at least 7 steals (32 games).
• He is 1st place all-time in games with at least 9 steals (4 games).
• He is 1st place all-time in games with at least 10 steals (4 games).
• He is the only player in NBA history to get at least 300 steals in one season.
• He is one of four players in NBA history to record a quadruple double. The others are David Robinson, Nate Thurmond, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
• He is the only player in NBA history to record a quadruple double as a guard.

See also

In Spanish: Alvin Robertson para niños

• List of NBA career steals leaders
• List of NBA single-season steals per game leaders
• List of NBA single-game steals leaders