Nate Robinson facts for kids
Robinson with the New York Knicks in 2007
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| Point guard | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 1984 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| High school |
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| 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 | 2005–2017 |
| 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 |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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|
| 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 in Seattle. He was the 21st player chosen in the 2005 NBA draft.
This amazing point guard is 5 feet 9 inches tall. He played in the NBA for many teams. These included the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls. In 2010, Robinson became the first player in NBA history to win the slam dunk championship three times.
Contents
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, and played for James Logan High School in 2000–01. He returned to Rainier Beach for his final year in 2001–02.
At Rainier Beach, Robinson was excellent in basketball, football, and track. He helped his basketball team achieve a 28–1 record. They won the AAA state championship during his senior year. He averaged 17.9 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals per game. In 2001–02, he was named the AAA State player of the year in Washington. His high school also earned a No. 7 national ranking from USA Today.
On September 10, 2001, Rainier Beach honored Robinson by retiring his No. 2 jersey. This means no other player at the school can wear that number.
College Basketball Career
Robinson first went to the University of Washington on a football scholarship. However, he decided to focus on basketball starting in his second year. He played all 13 football games in 2002. He started the last 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 recognized as a top freshman. He was named to the CollegeInsider.com's 20-player 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 ranked him 17th among all Pac-10 players. His 300 points tied for fourth among all-time UW freshmen.
In his second year, Robinson was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. He led the team and ranked 13th among Pac-10 scorers with 13.2 points per game.
During his third year, Robinson was named to several All-America teams. He also made the Pac-10 All-Tournament team and All-Pac-10 first team. He led Washington to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.
In April 2005, Robinson decided to enter the NBA draft. He chose to leave college a year early to pursue his professional basketball dream.
Professional Basketball Journey
New York Knicks (2005–2010)
The Phoenix Suns picked Robinson as the 21st overall player in the 2005 NBA draft. On the same night, he was traded to the New York Knicks. This trade also involved Quentin Richardson going to the Knicks. In return, the Suns received Kurt Thomas and the draft rights to Dijon Thompson.
In his first year, Robinson played in 72 games and started 26 of them. He averaged 9.3 points and 2.0 assists per game. He had a great game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. He scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Three of his points came from 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 narrowly beat Andre Iguodala 141–140 in overtime. In his most memorable dunk, he jumped over 1986 champion Spud Webb. He earned a perfect 50-point score for that amazing dunk.
During the 2005–06 season, Robinson had some disagreements with teammates. He was placed on the Inactive List for 10 games.
On November 11, 2006, Robinson famously blocked the 7'6" Yao Ming. This happened during the Knicks' 97–90 loss to the Houston Rockets. It became one of his career highlights because of how unlikely it was for a shorter player to block such a tall one.
On December 16, 2006, Robinson was involved in a big on-court argument between the Denver Nuggets and the Knicks. He was suspended for 10 games because of it.
Robinson competed in the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest to defend his title. He finished in second place after Gerald Green. In the final round, Green's teammate Paul Pierce brought out a cardboard cut-out of Robinson to dunk over. But Robinson stood in its place instead, and Green jumped over him for the dunk.
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 a 114–120 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
On February 14, 2009, Robinson won the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition again. In the first round, he jumped off his Knicks teammate Wilson Chandler for a dunk. He then changed into a green Knicks jersey, shorts, and shoes. He called this "KryptoNATE" to go against competitor Dwight Howard's Superman theme. In the final round, Robinson, who is only 5 feet 9 inches tall, jumped over Dwight Howard (6 feet 11 inches) for the slam. Robinson 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, Robinson scored 41 points and had 8 rebounds.
On August 12, 2009, Robinson announced he would change his jersey number from 4 to 2. On September 25, 2009, he signed a new one-year deal with the New York Knicks.
After some disagreements, coach Mike D'Antoni did not play Robinson for 14 games. Robinson's agent asked 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, outscoring the Hawks by himself in overtime.
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)
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.
Even with limited playing time, Robinson helped the Celtics a lot during their playoff run. In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, he scored 13 points in just 13 minutes. The Celtics' bench players, especially Robinson and Glen Davis, helped lead a big comeback in Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Finals. The Celtics eventually lost the series in seven games.
On July 16, 2010, Robinson signed a new two-year deal with Boston. He got more playing time and started 11 games 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 reached the Conference Finals for the second year in a row. However, he was not playing much for the Thunder by then.
On December 24, 2011, the Thunder released Robinson from his contract.
Golden State Warriors (2012)
On January 4, 2012, Robinson signed with the Golden State Warriors. On January 10, 2012, with Stephen Curry out, Robinson led the Warriors with 24 points. This helped them win in overtime against the Miami Heat. In the 2011–2012 season, he averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 2 rebounds in 51 games.
Chicago Bulls (2012–2013)
On July 31, 2012, Robinson signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. Because Derrick Rose was injured, Robinson played a lot and started 23 games. Robinson was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in early February. He averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 2.5 steals during that time.
From March 8 to April 14, Robinson averaged 18.6 points and 5.1 assists. This included a win over the defending champion Heat on March 27. That win ended Miami's 27-game winning streak. The Bulls finished the season with 45 wins and 37 losses.
In their first round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Bulls were down by a lot in Game 4. Robinson scored 12 points in a row to bring the Bulls back. They eventually won the game in triple overtime. He finished the game with 34 points, including 23 points in the 4th quarter. This was almost as many points as Michael Jordan's playoff record for the team. The Bulls won the series in Game 7.
Against the Miami Heat in the semifinals, Robinson scored 27 points and had nine assists in Game 1. This helped the Bulls surprise the defending champions and take a 1–0 lead. The Bulls lost the next four games, and Miami went on to win the NBA Championship. Steve Kerr, a TV analyst at the time, said Robinson's playoff performance was so good that they might need to build a statue of him next to Michael Jordan's.
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 decided to continue his contract with the Nuggets. On January 13, 2015, Robinson was traded to the Boston Celtics. Two days later, the Celtics released him before he played any games for them.
Los Angeles Clippers (2015)
On March 7, 2015, Robinson signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. On March 17, he signed a second 10-day contract. He was not kept by the Clippers after his second contract ended 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 their first two games of the season.
Hapoel Tel Aviv (2016)
On March 17, 2016, Robinson signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. 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, 1.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.8 steals 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 in 18 minutes.
Guaros de Lara (2017)
On April 3, 2017, Robinson signed with Guaros de Lara in the Venezuelan Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (LPB). In July, Robinson won the 2017 LPB championship with Guaros. Robinson was named the LPB Grand Final MVP.
On July 31, 2018, Robinson signed with Homenetmen Beirut in the Lebanese Basketball League. He was released by the team in September 2018 because of an injury.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | New York | 72 | 26 | 21.4 | .407 | .397 | .752 | 2.3 | 2.0 | .8 | .0 | 9.3 |
| 2006–07 | New York | 64 | 5 | 21.2 | .434 | .390 | .777 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .8 | .1 | 10.1 |
| 2007–08 | New York | 72 | 17 | 26.2 | .423 | .332 | .786 | 3.1 | 2.9 | .8 | .0 | 12.7 |
| 2008–09 | New York | 74 | 11 | 29.9 | .437 | .325 | .841 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 1.3 | .1 | 17.2 |
| 2009–10 | New York | 30 | 2 | 24.4 | .452 | .375 | .778 | 2.4 | 3.7 | .9 | .2 | 13.2 |
| Boston | 26 | 0 | 14.7 | .401 | .414 | .615 | 1.5 | 2.0 | .8 | .0 | 6.5 | |
| 2010–11 | Boston | 55 | 11 | 17.9 | .404 | .328 | .825 | 1.6 | 1.9 | .5 | .1 | 7.1 |
| Oklahoma City | 4 | 0 | 7.5 | .267 | .250 | .750 | .3 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | 3.3 | |
| 2011–12 | Golden State | 51 | 9 | 23.4 | .424 | .365 | .832 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 1.2 | .0 | 11.2 |
| 2012–13 | Chicago | 82* | 23 | 25.4 | .433 | .405 | .799 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 1.0 | .1 | 13.1 |
| 2013–14 | Denver | 44 | 1 | 19.7 | .428 | .377 | .835 | 1.8 | 2.5 | .8 | .1 | 10.4 |
| 2014–15 | Denver | 33 | 1 | 14.1 | .348 | .261 | .650 | 1.2 | 2.3 | .4 | .1 | 5.8 |
| L.A. Clippers | 9 | 0 | 14.0 | .333 | .350 | .833 | 1.2 | 2.2 | .7 | .0 | 5.1 | |
| 2015–16 | New Orleans | 2 | 1 | 11.5 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 618 | 107 | 22.5 | .423 | .360 | .796 | 2.3 | 3.0 | .9 | .1 | 11.0 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Boston | 17 | 0 | 7.5 | .375 | .333 | .800 | .8 | 1.1 | .4 | .1 | 4.2 |
| 2011 | Oklahoma City | 3 | 0 | 4.0 | .286 | .333 | 1.000 | .0 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 2.7 |
| 2013 | Chicago | 12 | 8 | 33.7 | .436 | .338 | .756 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 1.0 | .2 | 16.3 |
| Career | 32 | 8 | 17.0 | .415 | .337 | .776 | 1.4 | 2.3 | .6 | .1 | 8.6 | |
Personal Life and Family
Nate Robinson's father, Jacque Robinson, also played American football for the Huskies. He won MVP awards in both the 1982 Rose Bowl and 1985 Orange Bowl. His father was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1987 and 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. Robinson has some Filipino heritage from his great-great-grandfather.
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, which he also owns.
In 2022, Robinson shared that he was battling kidney disease. In February 2025, he received a kidney transplant.
Beyond the Basketball Court
In 2014, Robinson released a book called Heart over Height.
Also in 2014, Robinson opened a chicken and waffles restaurant. It was in Rainier Beach, Seattle, the neighborhood where he grew up.
In June 2016, Robinson practiced with the Seattle Seahawks football team.
In 2018, Robinson played the character Boots in the basketball comedy movie Uncle Drew.
In July 2020, Robinson announced he would try professional boxing. He faced YouTuber Jake Paul as part of a big boxing event. The fight happened on November 28, 2020. Robinson lost the fight by knockout in the second round.
Professional Boxing Record
| 1 fight | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Jake Paul | KO | 2 (6), 1:24 | Nov 28, 2020 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
See also
In Spanish: Nate Robinson para niños
- List of shortest players in NBA history
- List of people banned or suspended by the NBA
