Nate Robinson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nate Robinson

Robinson with the New York Knicks in 2007
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1984-05-31) May 31, 1984 (age 41) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
High school	Rainier Beach (Seattle, Washington) James Logan (Union City, California)
Listed height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College	Washington (2002–2005)
NBA Draft	2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21st overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Pro career	2005–2018
Career history
2005–2010	New York Knicks
2010–2011	Boston Celtics
2011	Oklahoma City Thunder
2012	Golden State Warriors
2012–2013	Chicago Bulls
2013–2015	Denver Nuggets
2015	Los Angeles Clippers
2015	New Orleans Pelicans
2016	Hapoel Tel Aviv
2017	Delaware 87ers
2017	Guaros de Lara
2018	Homenetmen Beirut
Career highlights and awards
3× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (2006, 2009, 2010) Venezuelan League champion (2017) Venezuelan League Grand Final MVP (2017) Third-team All-American – AP, NABC (2005) Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (2005) 2× First-team All-Pac-10 (2004, 2005) Pac-10 All-Freshman Team (2003)
Career NBA statistics
Points	6,807 (11.0 ppg)
Rebounds	1,446 (2.3 rpg)
Assists	1,826 (3.0 apg)

Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He was born in Seattle, Washington. Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington. He was the 21st player chosen in the 2005 NBA draft.

This 5-foot-9-inch (1.75 m) point guard played in the NBA. He played for teams like the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. Nate Robinson became the first player to win the Slam Dunk Contest three times. He achieved this amazing feat in 2010.

Early Life and High School Sports

Nate Robinson spent his first three years of high school at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle. Then he moved to Union City, California, for a year. He played for James Logan High School in 2000–01. He returned to Rainier Beach for his last year in 2001–02.

At Rainier Beach, Robinson was great at basketball, football, and track. He led his basketball team to a fantastic 28–1 record. They won the AAA state championship when he was a senior. He averaged 17.9 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals per game. He was named the AAA State player of the year in Washington. Rainier Beach was also ranked No. 7 nationally by USA Today. On September 10, 2001, Rainier Beach honored Robinson by retiring his No. 2 jersey.

College Basketball Career

Robinson first went to Washington on a football scholarship. But he decided to focus on basketball starting in his second year. He played 13 football games in 2002. He started six games as a cornerback for the Husky football team. He even played in the 2002 Sun Bowl. He caught two passes and made 34 tackles.

In his first basketball season at Washington (2002–03), Robinson was named to a national All-Freshmen Team. He also earned All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honors. He led his team in scoring with 13.0 points per game. This was the 17th best in the Pac-10 conference.

In his second year, Robinson was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. He led the team and ranked 13th in the Pac-10 with 13.2 points per game.

In his third year, Robinson was named to several All-America teams. He led Washington to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. In April 2005, Robinson decided to enter the NBA draft. He gave up his final year of college eligibility to do so.

Professional Basketball Journey

New York Knicks (2005–2010)

The Phoenix Suns picked Robinson 21st overall in the 2005 NBA draft. But he was quickly traded to the New York Knicks on draft night. He went with Quentin Richardson in exchange for Kurt Thomas.

Robinson played in 72 games in his first year. He started 26 of them. He averaged 9.3 points and 2.0 assists per game. He had a huge game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored 17 points and got 6 rebounds. He made a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime.

During the All-Star weekend, Robinson won the 2006 Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. He beat Andre Iguodala by a very close score. In his most famous dunk, he jumped over 1986 champion Spud Webb. He earned a perfect 50-point score for that dunk.

During the 2005–06 season, Robinson had some disagreements with teammates. He was even put on the Inactive List for 10 games. On November 11, 2006, Robinson blocked the 7'6" Yao Ming. This was a highlight because of the huge height difference.

On December 16, 2006, Robinson was involved in a big fight between the Denver Nuggets and the Knicks. He was suspended for 10 games because of it.

Robinson competed in the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest again. He came in second place after Gerald Green. Green's teammate Paul Pierce used a cardboard cut-out of Robinson to dunk over. But Robinson stood in its place instead, and Green jumped over him!

In the 2007–08 season, Robinson averaged 12.7 points per game. He was the team's top scorer in 10 games. On March 8, 2008, he scored a career-high 45 points. This was in an overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

On February 14, 2009, Robinson won the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition. He jumped off Knicks teammate Wilson Chandler for one dunk. In the final round, Robinson, who is only 5 feet 9 inches tall, jumped over Dwight Howard (6 feet 11 inches). He changed into a green Knicks jersey, calling it "KryptoNATE." He won his second Slam Dunk title with 52% of the fan vote.

Robinson had his best season in 2008–2009. He averaged 17.2 points and 4.1 assists per game. On February 23, 2009, he scored 41 points and had 8 rebounds.

On August 12, 2009, Robinson announced he would change his number from 4 to 2. On September 25, 2009, he signed a new one-year deal with the Knicks.

After some problems, coach Mike D'Antoni removed Robinson from the team's playing rotation for 14 games. Robinson's agent wanted the Knicks to trade him. After almost a month on the bench, Robinson returned on January 1, 2010. He scored 41 points off the bench in an overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored 21 of the Knicks' final 25 points.

On February 13, 2010, Robinson won the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. He became the first player to win the Slam Dunk championship three times!

Boston Celtics (2010–2011)

Robinson played parts of two seasons with the Boston Celtics.

On February 18, 2010, Robinson was traded to the Boston Celtics. He played in 26 games with the Celtics, averaging 6.5 points per game. He was the main backup for Rajon Rondo.

Robinson made important plays during the Celtics' playoff run that season. In a key game against the Orlando Magic, he scored 13 points in just 13 minutes. The Celtics' bench players, Robinson and Glen Davis, helped the team win. They called themselves "Shrek and Donkey." The Celtics lost the NBA Finals in seven games.

On July 16, 2010, Robinson signed a new two-year deal with Boston. He started 11 games for the Celtics when Rajon Rondo was injured. By January 2011, Robinson was third on the point guard list.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2011)

On February 24, 2011, Robinson was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played in another Conference Finals that year. But he was not playing much for the Thunder by then. On December 24, 2011, the Thunder released Robinson.

Golden State Warriors (2012)

On January 4, 2012, Robinson signed with the Golden State Warriors. On January 10, 2012, Robinson led the Warriors with 24 points. This was in an overtime win against the Miami Heat. In the 2011–2012 season, he averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 2 rebounds.

Chicago Bulls (2012–2013)

On July 31, 2012, Robinson signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. He got a lot of playing time because Derrick Rose was injured. Robinson was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in February. He averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 2.5 steals. He helped the Bulls end Miami's 27-game winning streak.

In the playoffs, the Bulls were playing the Brooklyn Nets. In Game 4, the Bulls were losing by a lot with less than three minutes left. Robinson scored 12 points in a row to bring the Bulls back. They eventually won the game in triple overtime. He finished with 34 points, including 23 points in the 4th quarter. This was almost as much as Michael Jordan's playoff record.

The Bulls then played the Miami Heat. Robinson scored 27 points and had nine assists in Game 1. The Bulls won that game, surprising the defending champions. He joined Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Derrick Rose as the only Bulls players to score at least 25 points and nine assists in a playoff game. The Bulls lost the next four games.

Denver Nuggets (2013–2015)

On July 26, 2013, Robinson signed a multi-year deal with the Denver Nuggets. He chose to wear number 10 to honor soccer player Lionel Messi. His favorite number 2 was already retired for Alex English.

On June 23, 2014, Robinson chose to stay with the Nuggets for another year. On January 13, 2015, Robinson was traded back to the Boston Celtics. Two days later, the Celtics released him.

Los Angeles Clippers (2015)

On March 7, 2015, Robinson signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. He signed a second 10-day contract. But he was not kept by the Clippers due to an injury.

New Orleans Pelicans (2015)

On October 16, 2015, Robinson signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. On October 29, he was released by the Pelicans after playing in only two games.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2016)

On March 17, 2016, Robinson signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel. On May 19, he scored a season-high 46 points in a playoff game. In 14 games for Tel Aviv, he averaged 16.2 points per game.

Delaware 87ers (2017)

On February 8, 2017, Robinson joined the Delaware 87ers in the NBA Development League. On February 14, he played his first game. He had three points, three assists, and three steals.

Guaros de Lara (2017)

On April 3, 2017, Robinson signed with Guaros de Lara in Venezuela. In July, Robinson won the 2017 LPB championship with Guaros. He was named the LPB Grand Final MVP.

On July 31, 2018, Robinson signed with Homenetmen Beirut in Lebanon. He was released in September 2018 because of an injury.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

Personal Life and Other Work

Robinson (left) and Brandon Jennings in a charity soccer match in 2010

Nate Robinson's father, Jacque Robinson, played American football for the Huskies. He was named MVP in two different bowl games. His father was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1987. He played one season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Robinson's mother runs a beauty salon in Seattle. He is also the cousin of point guard Tony Wroten. Part of Robinson's family background is Filipino.

Robinson has three children with his high school sweetheart.

Besides basketball, he loves collecting cars. He owns a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Challenger, and Hummer H2. He also has a blue Porsche Panamera and an orange Cadillac CTS-V. His favorite car is the Pontiac Firebird.

In 2022, Robinson shared that he has been dealing with a serious kidney condition. In April 2024, his kidney health had become very serious. He needs a new kidney to live a longer life.

Other Activities and Appearances

In 2014, Robinson released a book called Heart over Height. Also in 2014, he opened a chicken and waffles restaurant. It was in Rainier Beach, Seattle, where he grew up.

In June 2016, Robinson practiced with the Seattle Seahawks football team. In 2018, Robinson played the role of Boots in the basketball comedy movie Uncle Drew.

In July 2020, Robinson announced he would try professional boxing. He faced YouTuber Jake Paul. The fight happened on November 28, 2020. Robinson lost the fight by knockout in the second round.

Images for kids

• 

  Robinson with the New York Knicks in 2007

• 

  Robinson played parts of two seasons (February 2010 to February 2011) with the Boston Celtics.

• 

  Robinson (left) and Brandon Jennings in a charity soccer match in 2010

See also

In Spanish: Nate Robinson para niños

• List of shortest players in NBA history
• List of people banned or suspended by the NBA