[msb-alumni] NBA Player and ex-Piston Cliff Robinson dies at 53
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2020 18:32:52 -0400
BlankEx-Piston Cliff Robinson's game was ahead of its time 18-year NBA veteran
forward dead at 53 By Jeff Zillgitt USA TODAY
"Clifford was the consummate professional who loved the game and played with an
incredible sense of both joy and intensity during his outstanding 18-year
career,
including two seasons with the Warriors. Golden State Warriors in a statement
released Saturday Former NBA player Clifford Robinson has died at 53, the
University
of Connecticut confirmed on Saturday. A cause of death has not been provided.
Robinson, who later became a marijuana advocate in his post-NBA career, played
18
years in the league, starting in Portland, where he played a key role on the
Blazers'
Western Conference championship teams in 1989-90 and 1991-92. The Blazers lost
to
Detroit in the 1990 NBA Finals and Chicago in the 1992 Finals. At 6-foot-10,
225
pounds, Robinson played center, power forward and small forward during his
career in
which he averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. He made a name for himself as a
scorer and defender. He averaged at least 20 points three times during his NBA
career, including a career-high 21.3 in 1994-95. He made the All-Star team in
1994,
was named Sixth Man of the Year in 1992-93 and was second-team All-Defense in
1999-2000 and 2001-02. In a statement released Saturday, the Golden State
Warriors
said, "Clifford was the consummate professional who loved the game and played
with an
incredible sense of both joy and intensity during his outstanding 18-year
career,
including two seasons with the Warriors. In today's game, he would have found a
spot
as stretch four or five with his ability to make three-pointers. In 2000, he
scored a
career-high 50 points on 17-for-26 shooting. Though not a big deal now, he made
four
threes in a game 12 times in his career, including seven in a game in 2004.
Robinson
was also reliable. He played all 82 games in a season seven times and played in
at
least 70 games nine other times. He is 13th on the NBA's all-time games played
list
and 23rd all-time in minutes played. In addition to the Blazers, he played for
the
Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Warriors and New Jersey Nets and retired
following the
2006-07 season. Born in Buffalo, New York, in 1966, Robinson played college
ball at
UConn, where he helped transform the Huskies into a national power under coach
Jim
Calhoun. The Huskies never played in the NCAA tournament during Robinson's
time, but
they emerged right after he graduated. He was a significant part of putting
UConn on
the college basketball map for the next two decades. During his NBA career,
Robinson
was arrested for possession of marijuana and driving under the influence and
twice
received a five-game suspension for violating terms of the league's anti-drug
policy.
Robinson later acknowledged he was wrong but became a marijuana advocate and
launched
a line of Uncle Spliffy's marijuana products after his playing days. He
traveled the
country speaking to groups and lawmakers about the benefits of marijuana as an
alternative to prescription drugs while trying to destigmatize the use of the
drug.
"We've always had a good relationship," he told Vice Sports. "It's always been
a way
to calm myself. Calm myself, calm my stomach. It's always been that calming
influence
in my life. In 2017, he sustained a brain hemorrhage and spent more than a
month in
the hospital. In 2014, Robinson was part of a Dennis Rodman-led team that
played in
North Korea in front of leader Kim Jong Un. "Clifford was the consummate
professional
who loved the game and played with an incredible sense of both joy and
intensity
during his outstanding 18-year career, including two seasons with the Warriors.
Golden State Warriors in a statement released Saturday
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