Craig Robinson (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Craig Robinson

Robinson at the 2009 Obama Home State Inauguration Ball
Biographical details
Born	(1962-04-21) April 21, 1962 (age 63) DeYoung, Illinois, U.S.
Playing career
1979–1983	Princeton
Position(s)	Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1988–1990	IIT (asst.)
1999–2000	Chicago Lab School
2000–2006	Northwestern (asst.)
2006–2008	Brown
2008–2014	Oregon State
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2016–2017	Milwaukee Bucks (VP, player/org. development)
2017–2020	New York Knicks (VP, player/org. development)
Head coaching record
Overall	122–128 (.488)

Craig Malcolm Robinson (born April 21, 1962) is an American college basketball coach, a leader in basketball organizations, and a sports announcer. He used to be the head men's basketball coach at Oregon State University and Brown University. Before coaching, he was a star player at Princeton University in the early 1980s. He also worked in finance during the 1990s.

Currently, he is the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Craig Robinson is also famous for being the older brother of former First Lady Michelle Obama. This makes him the brother-in-law of the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama.

Growing Up

Craig Malcolm Robinson was born on April 21, 1962, in Calumet Park, Illinois. His father, Fraser Robinson, worked for the city water plant. His mother, Marian Robinson, was a secretary. Craig grew up in Chicago's South Shore with his younger sister, Michelle.

He learned to read at home when he was only four years old. He even skipped the second grade in school! Craig went to Mount Carmel High School, a private school, and graduated in 1979.

When it was time for college, Craig's father really wanted him to go to Princeton University. Princeton is a very respected school known for its strong academics. Even though other universities offered Craig basketball scholarships, his father believed Princeton was the best choice for his education.

Basketball Player

Craig Robinson was an amazing basketball player at Princeton University. He was named the Ivy League Player of the Year twice, in 1981–1982 and 1982–1983. In both of those years, he led the league in how many shots he made from the field. He is still the fourth-highest scorer in Princeton's basketball history.

He earned his college degree in Sociology in 1983. After college, in the 1983 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers picked him in the fourth round. However, he never played in the NBA. Instead, he played professional basketball for two seasons in England for the Manchester Giants.

In 1988, Craig returned to the U.S. and became an assistant coach at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He coached there until 1990.

Life and Family

Robinson in 2008

After coaching for a bit, Craig decided to try a career in business. His Princeton coach, Pete Carril, even suggested it. He went back to school and earned a master's degree in finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1992.

For many years in the 1990s, Craig worked as a bond trader. This means he bought and sold bonds, which are like loans that companies or governments use to raise money. He was a vice president at Continental Illinois Bank and later at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. He also became a partner at Loop Capital Markets, an investment banking firm.

When Craig's sister, Michelle, started dating Barack Obama, she asked Craig to play basketball with Barack. She wanted Craig to tell her what he thought of Barack's character. Craig gave a very positive report! He said Barack was confident but not boastful, a great team player, and unselfish. This basketball game became a famous story about how Barack passed a "test" to be with Michelle.

Even while working in business, Craig stayed involved with basketball. He helped scout players for Princeton and coached for one year at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Although he earned a lot of money in business, he eventually felt it wasn't what he truly wanted to do.

Craig has two children from his first marriage: a son named Avery (born 1992) and a daughter named Leslie (born 1996). Leslie also played basketball for the Princeton Tigers women's basketball team. In June 2006, Craig married his current wife, Kelly. They have two sons, Austin (born 2010) and Aaron (born 2012).

Basketball Coaching Career

In 1999, Craig Robinson returned to coaching basketball. He took a big pay cut, earning much less than he did in business. He spent six years as an assistant coach at Northwestern University. He was known for being very good at finding and recruiting new players.

In 2006, he became the head coach at Brown University. He used a special offensive style called the Princeton offense, which he learned from his old coach, Pete Carril. He focused on making his players work hard and improve their skills. In his first year, his team finished fifth in the Ivy League, and he was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year. The next year, Brown finished second in the league and set a team record with 19 wins.

Robinson introducing his sister, Michelle Obama, at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Craig also helped his brother-in-law, Barack Obama, during his 2008 presidential campaign. He traveled to different states, giving speeches and campaigning for him. He even introduced his sister, Michelle Obama, before her speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He was also on stage when Barack Obama won the election.

On April 7, 2008, Craig was hired as the head basketball coach for the Oregon State Beavers. The team had a very tough year before he arrived, winning only 6 games. In his first year, Oregon State started well. A win against USC in January 2009 ended a long losing streak in their conference. President-elect Obama even called Craig to congratulate him!

Craig continued to coach with a tough but fair approach, helping players improve their weaknesses. His team won six more conference games, which was much better than expected. They even won their first-ever postseason tournament, the 2009 College Basketball Invitational. The Beavers finished the season with an 18–18 record.

In July 2009, President Obama praised Craig, saying he was an "outstanding coach" who had really turned the team around. Oregon State's 2009–10 season was a bit up and down, but they still made it to the 2010 College Basketball Invitational. In March 2010, Oregon State extended Craig's contract. In April 2010, Craig published his memoir, A Game of Character.

The 2010–2011 season was a step back for Oregon State, but Craig remained positive. The Obamas even showed their support by attending an Oregon State game in November 2011. The 2011–2012 season was Craig's best for overall wins, with 21 victories. A new $15 million basketball practice facility, which Craig had pushed for, began construction in June 2012.

Before the 2012–2013 season, Craig thought his team was the best he'd had. However, they struggled, often losing games in the second half. Attendance at their home games dropped. Despite calls from fans for a change, the university's athletic director supported Craig.

The 2013–2014 season saw the team improve to a 16–16 record overall. However, they had their sixth straight losing season in the conference. After this season, many of the team's top players were leaving. On May 5, 2014, Craig Robinson was fired as Oregon State's head coach. He received a $4 million payment for the remaining years on his contract. During his time, the team never made it to the main NCAA tournament. Still, his 93–104 record made him the fourth-winningest coach in the team's history.

After leaving Oregon State, Craig joined the Milwaukee Bucks in August 2016 as a vice president focusing on player development. After one season, he moved to the New York Knicks in a similar role.

Broadcasting Career

On October 7, 2014, ESPN announced that they had hired Craig Robinson. He became a college basketball analyst, working as an announcer for games and doing studio commentary on ESPNU.

After Coaching

On July 13, 2020, Craig Robinson was named the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This role means he leads an organization that supports basketball coaches across the country.

Head Coaching Record

Here is a summary of Craig Robinson's record as a head coach: