When Robinson was a youngster, he enrolled in the US Naval Academy. He played his NCAA basketball there, and was eligible for the NBA draft in 1987. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs, but had to wait two more years before he could join the NBA because he still had two years of duty left with the Navy. Robinson was finally able to join the Spurs for the 1989-1990 season, and he helped the team make the playoffs, where they lost in seven games against eventual western conference champions Portland Trail Blazers. He was named the rookie of the year after that season and SEGA immediately produced a game starring David, named David Robinson's basketball.
The Spurs kept making the playoffs, but not winning the championship. Robinson made the 1992 US Olympic Dream Team that won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, and he scored 71 points in a game against the Clippers late in 1994 to obtain that year's scoring title. But from 1991 to 1998, only the Chicago Bulls and the Houston Rockets were able to claim the NBA championship that Robinson desired so much.
Before the start of the 1998-1999 season, NBA players went on strike, finally deciding to play out the rest of the season after February, therefore making it the 1999 NBA season. After playing 44 games, qualifying for the playoffs and reaching the NBA finals, Robinson and the Spurs were able to achieve their dream: They beat the New York Knicks in five games to become the NBA world's championship team.
Robinson announced he would retire from basketball after the 2003 campaign and, in the Spurs' case, playoffs.
In what could perhaps be called a fitting finale to Robinson's career, the Spurs won the 2003 world championship with a victory over the New Jersey Nets in Game Six of the 2003 NBA Finals. Robinson, who scored 13 points in his final game, credited God for the win.
His career averages are of 21.1 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, 3.0 blocks per game and 2.5 assists per game. He is one of only a small group of players to have scored over 20,000 career points in the NBA.
See also: Tim Duncan