David Locke: In the last 30 years only 3 rookies have ever scored 20 or more points in WINS than Donovan Mitchell David Robinson 42 Tim Duncan 38 Shaq O’Neal 33 Donovan Mitchell 30 pic.twitter.com/MnGvEA1HVs
#0
David Robinson
Position: None
Born: 08/06/65
Height: 7-1 / 2.16
Weight:250 lbs. / 113.4 kg.
Born: 08/06/65
Height: 7-1 / 2.16
Weight:250 lbs. / 113.4 kg.
David Robinson: Pop with an impressive year of coaching. A lot of injuries and another playoffs for our @spurs. #GladWeHavePop
You played many years for Gregg Popovich, who graduated from the Air Force Academy, played basketball there and then served five years before returning to Air Force to start his coaching career. Did you bond over your military background immediately? You don’t see that often in the NBA. David Robinson: Yeah, we definitely bonded over that. When you have the whole military mentality and then you transition to sports, in my case the NBA, it already makes you a little bit odd (laughs). Coming from that type of structure, I know a lot of people in the locker room were wondering, “What in the world is this young, military-minded kid going to be like when he comes in and joins the team?” But Pop and I absolutely bonded because we understood the focus [it takes to succeed] and we understood being a part of something bigger than ourselves, just like in the military. Together, we were really able to bring that focus and mentality to the Spurs. There’s no question that has been a part of Pop and I’s bond over the past 25 years, and he’s brought that discipline, focus and mission-oriented mindset to the team.
David Robinson: Tim was maybe the best thing that happened to me in my whole career. Obviously, having owners like Red McCombs and Peter Holt was fantastic and coaches like Larry Brown and Pop were phenomenal. But I can say that Tim is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. He helped me as an individual to grow up and be a better a player. He helped us achieve the long-term goals that we set, winning championships. And he helped us become the model franchise over a 25-year period. He was kind of that last piece of the puzzle. It’s honestly a no-brainer when you think about the synergy between the two of us and what it allowed us to accomplish.
Do you feel you and Tim get enough respect when people talk about the greatest duos of all time? I think because you’re both humble and team-focused, people overlook you guys a bit. You two are mentioned as one of the best big-men duos, the best “Twin Towers,” but I feel like you should be mentioned more as one of the best one-two punches ever – regardless of position. Do you agree? David Robinson: No, not at all! If anything, we probably get too much credit (laughs). We had a blast and it was so much fun playing with Tim. But how do I compare myself or Tim to someone like Bill Russell? I mean, come on! That guy was ridiculous. Or how about Wilt Chamberlain? That guy changed the way we play the game! There have been some incredible guys who came before us and I appreciate what they brought to the table. I do think Tim and I added something to the game and that was fun. But you’ve known Tim and I for a long enough time to know that we don’t seek that out. That’s not who we are. What we did was what we did, and it was so much fun. I think we added some fun to the game of basketball, to the NBA and its rich history, but we were just blips on the radar screen (laughs). You know? It just keeps evolving, and that’s what so fun about the NBA.
23 Mar
