Tag: David Robinson

How similar is Victor Wembanyama to Spurs icons Tim Duncan and David Robinson?

What does Wemby have in common with The Admiral and Old Man Riverwalk?

If there is a better head coach and ball club for a skilled big man to hone their craft and find success than the San Antonio Spurs and Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, we can’t think of which they might be. So the luck of French rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama to land with San Antonio in the 2023 NBA draft may pay dividends, and fans are already starting to compare Wemby to Spurs greats like David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Even that HoFer head coach has commented that he sees similarities with Wembanyama, Duncan, and Robinson, so maybe those fans are onto something.

On a recent episode of the “Locked on Spurs” podcast, host Jeff Garcia linked up with guest Rudy Campos of “Sweep the League” to talk over those eerie similarities between Wembanyama and fellow San Antonio frontcourt greats of the past.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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David Robinson on Dennis Rodman’s leadership: ‘He is not that guy’

During a recent interview, San Antonio Spurs legend David Robinson spoke about Dennis Rodman’s leadership.

One of the most dominant big men in NBA history, David Robinson was a great leader on the San Antonio Spurs. He ended up winning two championships alongside Tim Duncan in San Antonio while also earning 10- All-Star nods, 10 All-NBA appearances, one DPOY, and one MVP.

During his time with the Spurs, Robinson got the chance to play with some elite NBA talent, highlighted by Duncan, as previously mentioned. However, he also played with some interesting characters, Dennis Rodman being the most notable of the bunch. Rodman had a very interesting NBA career, and while he’s best known for his time with the Chicago Bulls, he was also a Spur for two seasons.

In a recent interview with Joe Buck, Robinson spoke at length about his experience with Rodman. (H/t Shane Garry Acedera of Basketball Network)

“You know what? I love Dennis. I really do,” Robinson said. “He’s an unbelievable player, incredibly athletic. I mean, he was like Superman. Like, he just was a freak of nature. The guy could run all day long, never got tired, and was like the Energizer bunny. I loved having him next to me on the court because you always felt like, you know you just got a warrior with you. So on the court, he’s a great guy to have next to you. In the locker room is a little different story.”

However, he also noted that Rodman wasn’t a great leader.

“You know, he marches to the beat of his own drum,” Robinson said. “Like when you need a leader, a leader needs to be tuned in to what everybody else is doing. A leader needs to say, ‘Hey, how do I help this guy and that guy?’ And so that was hard for him. He is not that guy.”

Rodman was great at what he did best, but leading wasn’t necessarily part of that.

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Rare Victor Wembanyama basketball card sells for thousands in online auction

A rare Victor Wembanyama basketball card recently sold at auction for north of $15,000.

According to KENS 5 San Antonio, a Victor Wembanyama basketball card recently sold at action at an incredibly high price online. The card in question is a Bowman University 2022 Chrome Refractor card, and the final bid on eBay was for $15,800. The card was rated PSA 10 for being in excellent condition, the highest such grade it could’ve received. Likewise, the card is autographed, adding to its overall value.

Wembanyama has already taken the NBA by storm after being selected No. 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 draft. His status as one of the league’s most coveted stars was confirmed during a high-profile trip to Las Vegas Summer League, while his celebrity will only grow once he laces up for an actual NBA game this fall.

For now, basketball card auctions and other such moments are good ways to gauge Wembanyama’s star power. The recently auctioned card isn’t the only such collectible to fetch a high price.

NBA Rookie of the Year: The 5 players to win the award unanimously

Only five players have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award unanimously.

The NBA has seen some of the best players to ever step foot on the hardwood enter the league and have strong rookie campaigns straight out of the gate over the years.

But, only five players have ever unanimously won Rookie of the Year.

The award has been given to the top first-year player since the 1952-53 season when Don Meineke of the Fort Wayne Pistons won. Thirty of the non-active winners have been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and 22 were drafted with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

The winners are selected by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The voters submit ballots with three players — first place (five points), second place (three points) and third place (one point) — and the player with the highest point total is the winner.

There have been several players that have come close to winning unanimously, like Ja Morant in 2020 (99 first-place votes) or even this year with Paolo Banchero (98 first-place votes), but only five have received every first-place vote.

Here are the players to have won Rookie of the Year unanimously.

WATCH: Chiefs’ Rashee Rice training with esteemed WR coach David Robinson

#Chiefs rookie WR Rashee Rice is training with one of the best private WR coaches in the NFL this offseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of the break between mandatory minicamp and training camp, but that doesn’t mean players aren’t getting some work in on their own time.

Rookie WR Rashee Rice, for instance, is out in Dallas, Texas working with David Robinson — one of the most esteemed private NFL receiver coaches.  The former Oklahoma Sooner has made a career out of training NFL receivers, working with players like Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Tyler Lockett, Chris Godwin, Jerry Jeudy, and Christian Kirk. Robinson has even worked with some former Chiefs like Mecole Hardman and Daurice Fountain.

Robinson posted a few clips of Rice running some routes and doing footwork drills on his Instagram page. They were shared on Twitter by Dante’ Jones.

Check it out:

Rice shows off some pretty impressive footwork in the clips, looking quicker and a bit more sudden than he did in clips shared from OTAs and mandatory minicamp just a few weeks ago. Keep in mind, Rice dealt with a turf toe injury for nine games during the 2022 college football season, so he could simply be working his way back to form. Either way, the injury didn’t stop him from leading the country in receiving yards.

Perhaps working with Robinson is where Rice’s “veteran mindset” comes from. Nonetheless, if the rookie is to carry over the success of his career year at SMU last season, going out of his way to get extra work in during this down period of the offseason is a good start.

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A photo of Victor Wembanyama towering over David Robinson, Tim Duncan had NBA fans in awe

This photo is wild.

Time to add another photo to our list of snaps of 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama making other famous people look comically small.

The San Antonio Spurs rookie tweeted a photo of him with some legends from the franchise he’s now a part of: David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Sean Elliott.

A reminder: Robinson and Duncan are tall people — 7-foot-1 and 6-foot-11, respectively. But Wembanyama makes them look … well, not that tall!

It’s just wild. This is the snap from the first team dinner Wemby had with the Spurs, and NBA fans were so much in awe of it on Saturday:

MORE VICTOR WEMBANYAMA:

Victor Wembanyama raved about his dinner with a few ‘generous’ Spurs legends

A handful of Spurs greats have already taken Victor Wembanyama under their wing.

Not even two days removed from the 2023 NBA Draft, San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama has already learned from some of the franchise’s great players.

Wembanyama reportedly dined with Spurs legends Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Manu Ginobili on Friday night, and the rookie raved on Saturday about how much they taught him and invested in him for their few hours together.

“In probably a couple hours, I learned more about the NBA than in my whole life,” Wembanyama said. “It’s comforting to see that these people, who are so important to the city of San Antonio and to the franchise, are such kind people, and generous, because they genuinely wanted to share with me their experience.”

What a cool moment it must’ve been for Wembanyama to get to engage with those Spurs legends in such an intimate setting.

The new San Antonio franchise face also has support from his fellow countryman and Spurs legend Tony Parker, as the two already had an established relationship with each other before Wembanyama was drafted.

“I know he wanted to go to San Antonio, and so it feels like it was destiny, with the French connection we built over the years,” Parker told AP. “And he is going to keep the legacy going. It’s pretty cool.”

Wembanyama is going to carve out his own legacy in San Antonio history, and it’s already so neat to see the Spurs greats of yesterday already embrace the franchise’s future star.

Among frontcourt greats in the NBA, Celtics’ Bill Russell cast a long shadow

And when those peers honored him with a lifetime achievement award, he couldn’t resist making a joke.

In 2017, during the first annual NBA awards show, the league honored Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell with a lifetime achievement award. It was presented by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson and Dikembe Mutombo — all big man legends in their own right. His friend and mentee Abdul-Jabbar spoke on Russell’s legacy.

“Combining a point guard’s quickness with a big man’s size, Bill’s talents refined this sport,” said the Los Angeles Laker legend via NBA on TNT (h/t Sportscasting’s Tim van Straten). “He showed how basketball could be won on the defensive end of the court; using his mind, as well as his body, to outthink and outsmart opponents.”

“Whether it’s his lifetime commitment to civil rights, or his role as founder of MENTOR, a national youth mentoring organization, Bill’s legacy is as profound as it is thrilling,” he added.

Russell’s response revolving around an obscene hand gesture followed by an assurance he would kick their (expletive) was legendary.

“Thank you, you have no idea how much respect I have for you guys,” Russell continued. “Because you did it in your own time, in your own way, and I appreciate that. And it made me proud to have played this same game as you guys.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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John Lucas compares Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. to Spurs legend David Robinson

#Rockets assistant coach John Lucas worked with David Robinson in San Antonio, and he sees similarities in the demeanor and leadership of Jabari Smith Jr., even as a rookie.

Houston Rockets assistant coach John Lucas worked with eventual Hall of Fame center David Robinson in San Antonio, and he sees similarities in the approach of Jabari Smith Jr., even as a rookie.

Lucas met with media members at Tuesday’s practice since head coach Stephen Silas was absent due to the league’s health and safety protocol. As part of his interview, Lucas was asked about Smith after his excellent preseason debut on Sunday, and his answer did not disappoint.

Courtesy of Jackson Gatlin, Lucas told reporters:

He’s scratching the surface. I think he has a chance to be really good, because one of the things he can do already is shoot, and that helps our spacing on the floor. He is an elite defender, already.

He reminds me of a guy I coached before, David Robinson. He has that kind of demeanor and leadership about him.

Lucas was head coach of the Spurs from 1992 to 1994, which is when Robinson was in regular All-Star and MVP contending form. His full post-practice interview from Tuesday can be viewed below.

Smith and the Rockets will resume their exhibition slate when Toronto visits Toyota Center on Friday. The tip is at 7 p.m. Central.

“He’s a perfect complement to our team,” Lucas said of Smith. “He’s done a lot of good, positive things. The one thing in doing research on him and talking with his coaches, he likes to work. And he’s got a nasty streak in him that comes across.”

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Fotos de Chet Holmgren junto a Dirk Nowitzki y David Robinson ilustran su increíble altura

Chet Holmgren, un candidato a selección top del Draft de la NBA es increíblemente alto. Que un prospecto top de basquetbol es alto seguro no es noticia de última hora. Es esperado. Uno esperaría que tuviera ese lego si va a jugar en la cancha con un …

Chet Holmgren, un candidato a selección top del Draft de la NBA es increíblemente alto.

Que un prospecto top de basquetbol es alto seguro no es noticia de última hora. Es esperado. Uno esperaría que tuviera ese lego si va a jugar en  la cancha con un equipo de basquetbol profesional.

Sin embargo, creemos que ustedes están asumiendo que es un típico centro de la NBA. Así que mejor lo enfatizamos. Holmgren es INCREÍBLEMENTE alto. Tipo, puede empequeñecer a algunos de los jugadores más grandes en la historia de la NBA.

Vean esta foro de Holmgren junto al MVP 2007, Dirk Nowitzki:

Nowitzki, quien también ganó el MVP en las Finales, figuraba como de 7 pies durante su carrera. Holmgren no fue medido durante el Draft Combine de la NBA en Chicago, pero puede que sea más alto que los siente pies que tiene enlistados.

Holmgren hace que Nowitzki, que sobrepasaba a sus compañeros de Dallas como JJ Barea, parezca una persona normal. A pesar que Holmgren está usando un sombrero en esta foto, es bastante claro que le gana por unas cuantas pulgadas a Dirk.

Pero si la foto no es suficiente para ustedes, tal vez esta foto del Draft Lottery de la NBA de Holmgren con el MVP 1995, David Robinson, tal vez lo sea:

Traducción.- David Robisnon (de 7’1) junto a Chet Holmgren.

Robinson, un doble campeón de la NBA, estaba considerado como de 7-pies-1 durante su carrera.

A diferencia de la foto que muestra a Holmgren con Nowitzki, esta foro con Robinson también lo muestra junto a un no-jugador de la NBA como referencia.

Mike Schmitz, el reportero junto a Robinson y Holmgren, que acababa de ser contratado  como subdirector general de los Portland Trail Blazers mide 6-pies-2.

Por supuesto que la altura no significa éxito en la NBA. Pero para Holmgren, definitivamente no le afectará ser claramente más grande que leyendas como Nowitzki y Robinson.