Nate Robinson, who spent 11 seasons in the NBA while playing for some of the league’s most relevant franchises — including the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls — has been out of the league since 2015-16 but his name will long be etched into the memory of diehard NBA fans.
A three-time Slam Dunk Champion at just 5’9,” Robinson’s career was surprisingly successful for a player his size. At least, until you think about the fact that he hails from Seattle, a Mecca of basketball that’s produced players such as Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford and Jason Terry (who also had a brief stint with the Celtics).
Now, just four seasons removed from his last NBA action — and it should be noted that the 35-year-old Robinson has not officially retired from the league — he’s focused on making waves in a new venture.
Along with former NBA forward Carlos Boozer, who announced his retirement in December 2017, Robinson has started a clothing brand.
Dubbed “HOLDAT,” Robinson and Boozer hosted a launch event on Super Bowl weekend with a joint event at Miami-based sneaker shop True North and the House of Mac restaurant.
However, as Robinson discussed how the idea for the word “HOLDAT” came to be, it was the brainchild of neither he nor Boozer.
“Joakim Noah started that whole thing like five or six years ago when he won a national championship with Florida and he said it in the interview after the game. Some fans, some haters was saying that [the Gators] weren’t going to win it and Joakim wasn’t going to be successful in the game and he was, and he told everybody to ‘hol’dat’.”
Now, it should be noted that Noah’s Gators won the NCAA men’s national championship in 2007, the same year that Noah was selected with the ninth overall pick in the NBA Draft. When speaking about the genesis of the brand name, what KryptoNate is more likely referring to is the time when he first heard the word.
“When I got to the Bulls, he used it every time he shot the ball or somebody shot the ball and we made it… everything was hol’dat. Hol’dat. Hol’dat.”
For an undersized point guard who defied the laws of physics on the court, it’s obvious why a word summarizing his triumph over doubters would hold so much weight for him.
“Hol’dat meant so much. I was just like, I’m [going to] use that. He was just like go ahead and I haven’t looked back since.”
“I just wanted to create something cool and I just feel like HOLDAT is the perfect word for success; accomplishing your goals and accomplishing something people said you can’t. I just kind of wanted to bring it to life.”
And Boozer?
“Booz yelled it the loudest while we were on the team,” Robinson says laughing. “He yelled it loud all the time. You know Booz is in the game, [taking a] fadeaway and he always yelled hol’dat… it was just real cool.”
And Booz is a great guy. He has four beautiful kids. We share a lot in common: we love sports, books, we hang with our kids, we love snowboarding. We just share a lot of things in common. He’s just a good brother.”
“You know he has a clothing line he deals with… Loaded Dock… a swimsuit line he does with another one of his buddies. I was just like ‘Man, what’s up?’ You want to kind of go in business and do HOLDAT? We rock it, we say it everyday, we use it in every hashtag, it’s a part of our Instagram, it’s a part of our everyday life and people love it.'”
He was just like, ‘Of course.’ He was down and we haven’t looked back ever since.”
It’s not been a path without it’s share of challenges, though.
From trying to incorporate current fashion trends to using what the fans have been drawn to, the creative aspect of building a clothing line hasn’t be the simplest process. Then there are the characters, or builds, he’s using to add personality and flair to HOLDAT.
“Mr. Hops,” the hip bunny that Robinson sees as a reflection of himself and his incredible athleticism. The “Glass Cleaner.” The “Paint Beast.”
“You just try to stay in a lane that fits you.”
“Our lane is universal,” Robinson says.
“We’re going to touch a lot of hearts and a lot people around the basketball world because we played it. A lot of fans here they love us on the basketball court, so why not do some basketball stuff? You know we’re doing so many different types of things… we’re going to have different kinds of giveaways and different types of stuff to engage with the fans.
We’re the people’s champ. We want to supply the stuff for the people, man. We just want them to rock it and feel comfortable. We want it to be comfortable on them for something that looks nice and [is] pretty much affordable for everybody to come and show love and support for out movement.”
With 11 years in the NBA for Robinson and 13 for Boozer, along with stints in Israel, China, Lebanon and Venezuela between them (not to mention two Olympic appearances for Boozer, in Beijing and Athens), the fans the duo will attract will come from far and away.
“We definitely would be worldwide with it,” says Robinson, “people ship from Australia, everywhere… We want all people to show love, from everywhere.”
Even moreso, with plans for web series’ like “Yacht Talk” and “Choppin’ It Up” in mind — forums where athletes, and really anybody, can feel comfortable talking about themselves and connecting with fans without their words being twisted by third-party — HOLDAT will only continue to gain recognition.
This is Robinson’s route to becoming more than an athlete, a phrase made popular by Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James:
“You know for us, life after basketball, I mean, LeBron has definitely shown what you can do off-the-court. Anything is possible man if you put your mind to it and you have the right support system, [if] you have a good foundation. You can do anything. You just need people that has the same vision as you.
You gotta keep the right company around you to push you to succeed. They gotta want to succeed as much as you do and they gotta want to see you succeed as much as you want to see them succeed. You just push each other.”
That’s where guys like Udonis Haslem, Eddy Curry and Quentin Richardson — who have already purchased HOLDAT gear — come into play.
It’s where others — like fellow Seattle native, alum of Rainier Beach High School and creator of Skyblue– Reggie Moore, come into play. Shouting out Moore, Robinson says “he’s the reason I kind of wanted to start my own brand. Watching him do his thing and hustle and grind.”
Gary Vaynerchuk (whom Robinson simply calls “Gary Vee”) is one who Robinson credits for telling him “to get out and not be afraid to start your brand.” ZANEROBE, who helped him start his brand, along with friend Dan Maynard (the co-founder of Noble Gentleman).
Then, of course, Boozer.
“I got a guy like Boozer that wants to see me succeed as much as I want to see him succeed so it works. So for us, we’ve been around the game, we’ve been watching different business people and entrepreneurs [and] how they work. One thing for us is we know you just can’t be afraid to try something different and get out your comfort zone and this is something that’s not in our comfort zone and we’re just trying to tackle it and make the best of it.”
This is a new version of Robinson who NBA fans may not have had the chance to see before.
One who discusses the concept of fatherhood — he has four children, Navyi, Nahmier, Nasir and Nyale — and getting to know his children and their personalities while working for them to know him better and teaching then what he “stands for as a man.” One who understands the dangers of the world and wants to teach his children about the cruelty of it and how it juxtaposes with the love that’s in it, while “teaching them to be the best person they can be.”
In a way, HOLDAT is like another child for Robinson, with he and Boozer taking the company through it’s baby steps in hopes that he can grow into a juggernaut one day.
“We’re trying to crawl before we walk, walk before we run and run before we fly,” says a sagacious Robinson.
“So we’re just trying to take each step one day at a time…and hopefully this thing can continue to grow so we can compete with the big dogs like the Nikes, and the Under Armour, Adidas, Supremes. You know, all the cool brands.
We’re trying to find a lane for ourselves. Make a name for ourselves.”
If the world hasn’t learned by now, it would be best not to count Robinson — or anything he gives his all to — out. The one who doubts could very well be on their way to him telling them to “hol’dat,” and for good reason.