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“The arrogance of the NCAA to say, ‘we have the right to do this,’ … is what troubles me the most,” Robertson told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday. “The University of Cincinnati gets a fee each time my picture is used on a card. I don’t. When I played there, there was nothing like this ever agreed to.” Yahoo! Sports

Oscar Robertson 

Robertson put his considerable reputation on the line Wednesday and joined a 2009 class action suit against the NCAA, first championed by former UCLA Bruin star Ed O’Bannon, as a name plaintiff. The new complaint (750k PDF), filed in the United States District Court in San Francisco and obtained by Yahoo! Sports, argues that, “Mr. Robertson’s collegiate image continues to be licensed without his consent to this day … and sold for profit without approval by Mr. Robertson, and without any opportunity for him to participate in the licensing opportunity generated by the use and sale of his own collegiate image.” Yahoo! Sports

Oscar Robertson 

The O’Bannon suit, which is progressing through the courts, argued the NCAA “has illegally deprived former student-athletes” from “myriad revenue streams” including “DVDs, video games, memorabilia, photographs, television rebroadcasts and use in advertising.” You can now add trading cards to the list. The lawsuit does not question the NCAA’s ability to market current players, but argues that the NCAA should not be able to maintain control over people forever. The plaintiffs’ case is being argued by a slew of law firms, including the renowned Washington-based Hausfeld LLP, which specializes in difficult class action suits, having previously secured reparations for Holocaust survivors from Swiss banks. Yahoo! Sports

Oscar Robertson 

LeBron James: Wanna send a shout out to the 'Big O' Oscar Robertson. For what u did and continuing to do for the game of basketb ... tmi.me/16gZt Twitter

Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, Oscar Robertson 

When asked about James, Robertson went into teacher mode. “I’m going to give you a little scenario about something,’’ he said. “People don’t think beyond a couple of years ago. When Shaq [O’Neal] was in Orlando, what happened to him? When Kareem was in Milwaukee, what happened to him? Wilt [Chamberlain] went to Los Angeles. [Good teams] are always going to make a key trade. “LeBron has an opportunity just like Oscar Robertson had an opportunity. Cleveland thinks he should have stayed, [but] he has a right to do this.’’ Boston Globe

Miami Heat, Oscar Robertson 

While Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee) and Chamberlain (Philadelphia) won a championship with their first teams, players such as O’Neal, Moses Malone, Clyde Drexler, and Bob McAdoo moved to new clubs to reach the pinnacle. “What’s the big deal, besides having your feelings hurt?’’ said Robertson, referring to Cleveland. “Everywhere there’s been a championship, there’s been a key trade. Bill Russell came to Boston from St. Louis because they didn’t allow black players down there. “You look at all the other situations. This is what’s happening. The Lakers have always been making trades. How did the Lakers get [Pau] Gasol? How did Boston get [Kevin] Garnett? And Ray Allen? It’s almost like it was a setup deal.’’ Boston Globe

Miami Heat, Oscar Robertson 

Boston hung the banners and had the mystique, the latter word, in this case, being spelled "R-u-s-s-e-l-l." "Red Auerbach got Bill Russell in a trade because St. Louis didn't want any black players," said Robertson, 71 . The whole Eastern Conference was stacked then. Wilt Chamberlain was in Philadelphia, Russell in Boston, and, while the Royals had eviscerated their championship chances by trading Boozer, New York was a coming power. "Cincinnati didn't want that many black players either," Robertson said. "That absolutely killed us, trading Boozer." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Oscar Robertson