Nate Robinson

Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson
	File:Nate Robinson 2013.jpg Robinson with the Chicago Bulls in 2013
Born	Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson; May 31, 1984 (age 42); Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	2005–2017
Known for	Three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion; NBA point guard

Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. Hailing from Seattle, Robinson played collegiate basketball at the University of Washington and was chosen as the 21st overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. As a point guard, he competed in the NBA with several teams including the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans. In 2010, Robinson made history by becoming the NBA’s inaugural player to secure three titles in the slam dunk competition.

Early life

Robinson attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle for his first three years before relocating to Union City, California where he played at James Logan High School during the 2000–01 season. He then returned to Rainier Beach for his senior year in 2001–02. Excelling across basketball, football, and track, he led Rainier Beach to a remarkable 28–1 record and captured the AAA state championship alongside teammates such as Terrence Williams and twins Rodrick and Lodrick Stewart. Averaging 17.9 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals per game, Robinson earned AAA State player of the year accolades. The team was ranked seventh nationally by USA Today.

On September 10, 2001, Rainier Beach honored Robinson by retiring his No. 2 jersey.

College career

Robinson initially joined Washington on a football scholarship but transitioned his focus to basketball by his sophomore year. In 2002, he participated in all 13 football games as a cornerback, starting six contests while recording two interceptions and 34 tackles.

During his freshman basketball season (2002–03), Robinson led the Huskies with an average of 13.0 points per game, earning recognition on CollegeInsider.com’s All-Freshmen Team and the All-Pac-10 Freshman Team. His total of 300 points ranked fourth among freshmen in UW history.

In his sophomore campaign, Robinson secured a place on the All-Pac-10 first team after leading Washington with 13.2 points per game, placing him 13th in conference scoring.

His junior year brought further honors including NABC All-NCAA District 14 first team, NABC All-America third team, Pac-10 All-Tournament team, and All-Pac-10 first team distinctions. He guided Washington to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament.

In April 2005, Robinson declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his remaining college eligibility.

New York Knicks (2005–2010)

Selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 NBA draft, Robinson was immediately traded to the New York Knicks along with Quentin Richardson in exchange for Kurt Thomas and draft rights to Dijon Thompson on draft night.

In his rookie campaign, Robinson appeared in 72 games with 26 starts, averaging 9.3 points and two assists per contest. A standout moment came against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden, where he scored 17 points including a decisive three-pointer in overtime. During the 2006 All-Star weekend, he claimed victory in the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest, narrowly defeating Andre Iguodala with a flawless dunk over former champion Spud Webb from 1986.

The 2005–06 season was marked by some disciplinary challenges; Robinson was involved in teammate altercations and spent ten games on the Inactive List. A highlight occurred on November 11, 2006, when he blocked a shot from towering 7'6" star Yao Ming. He played a prominent role in the December 16, 2006 Knicks–Nuggets brawl that led to a suspension lasting ten games.

Robinson attempted to defend his dunk crown at the 2007 contest but finished second behind Gerald Green. During the 2007–08 season, he averaged 12.7 points per game and posted a career-high of 45 points on March 8, 2008.

On February 14, 2009, Robinson secured his second Sprite Slam Dunk Competition title with an impressive leap over teammate Wilson Chandler and rival Dwight Howard. That season represented his statistical peak as he averaged career-best numbers of 17.2 points and 4.1 assists per game; notably scoring 41 points along with eight rebounds on February 23.

For the following season (2009–10), Robinson switched his jersey number from four to two and re-signed with New York on a one-year contract in September 2009. After being sidelined for fourteen games due to conflicts with coach Mike D'Antoni, he returned on January 1, 2010, delivering a remarkable performance off the bench with 41 points leading an overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks.

On February 13, 2010, Robinson captured his third Sprite Slam Dunk Contest championship, making him the first player ever to win this event three times.

Boston Celtics (2010–2011)

On February 18, 2010, Robinson was traded to the Boston Celtics together with Marcus Landry in exchange for Eddie House, Bill Walker, and J. R. Giddens. During his time with Boston, he participated in 26 games, averaging 6.5 points over 14.7 minutes as the main backup to Rajon Rondo.

Robinson played a significant role throughout the Celtics' postseason journey. Notably, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, he contributed 13 points in just 13 minutes while Rondo was sidelined due to injury. Alongside Glen Davis, famously dubbed "Shrek and Donkey," Robinson spearheaded a vital 13–2 run in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, leveling the series at two games apiece. Ultimately, Boston fell in a seven-game series.

On July 16, 2010, Robinson inked a two-year contract extension with the Celtics. With Rondo out early in the season due to an ankle injury, Robinson started 11 contests between November and December, including six games during a notable 14-game winning streak. Once Rondo and Delonte West returned to full health by January 2011, Robinson shifted to the third spot on the point guard depth chart.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2011)

Robinson was traded on February 24, 2011, along with Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstić. Although he reached a second straight Conference Finals appearance with Oklahoma City, Robinson had fallen out of their regular rotation by that time. Shortly before the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season began, on December 24, 2011, the Thunder released him.

Golden State Warriors (2012)

Robinson signed with the Golden State Warriors on January 4, 2012. Without the presence of Stephen Curry on January 10, he led Golden State with a team-high 24 points in a 111–106 overtime victory against the Miami Heat. Over the course of the 2011–12 campaign, he averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 2 rebounds across 51 appearances.

Chicago Bulls (2012–2013)

On July 31, 2012, Robinson agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Bulls. Due to an injury to Derrick Rose, he saw significant playing time and started in 23 games behind Kirk Hinrich. In early February, Robinson earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors after posting averages of 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 2.5 steals while shooting an impressive 52.9% from beyond the arc over four games. Between March 8 and April 14, he maintained averages of 18.6 points and 5.1 assists per game, including a pivotal win over the reigning champion Heat, which ended Miami’s historic 27-game winning streak. The Bulls concluded the regular season at 45–37, securing the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

In the opening round against Brooklyn Nets, Robinson scored an unbroken streak of 12 points late in Game 4 to force triple overtime and ultimately led Chicago to victory with a total of 34 points—23 coming in the fourth quarter—nearly equaling Michael Jordan’s franchise playoff scoring record for a quarter. The Bulls went on to win Game 7 on the road for their first-ever road victory in a Game 7.

During the semifinals versus Miami, Robinson delivered a standout performance with 27 points and nine assists in Game 1 to secure an unexpected series lead. He became one of only four Bulls players—including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Derrick Rose—to record at least 25 points and nine assists in a playoff game. Although Miami won four consecutive games afterward en route to repeating as NBA Champions, Robinson’s postseason efforts received widespread acclaim; analyst Steve Kerr even proposed erecting a statue honoring him alongside Michael Jordan, while The Atlantic recognized him as the breakout star of that year's playoffs.

Denver Nuggets (2013–2015)

Robinson inked a multi-year contract with the Denver Nuggets on July 26, 2013. He selected jersey number 10 as a tribute to soccer star Lionel Messi, since his favored number 2 was retired in honor of Alex English. On June 23, 2014, he opted to extend his contract by activating the player option. Subsequently, on January 13, 2015, Robinson was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Jameer Nelson, but he was released two days later without participating in any games.

Los Angeles Clippers (2015)

Robinson joined the Los Angeles Clippers on March 7, 2015, signing an initial 10-day contract, which was followed by a second 10-day deal on March 17. Due to injury concerns, the Clippers chose not to re-sign him after the conclusion of the second contract.

New Orleans Pelicans (2015)

On October 16, 2015, Robinson agreed to a one-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he was waived on October 29 after appearing in just the first two regular-season contests.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2016)

Robinson signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League on March 17, 2016. On May 19, he delivered a season-best performance by scoring 46 points during a playoff matchup against Hapoel Jerusalem. Over the span of 14 games, he averaged 16.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per contest.

Delaware 87ers (2017)

The Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League acquired Robinson on February 8, 2017. He made his debut on February 14, contributing three points, three assists, and three steals in an 18-minute appearance off the bench during a victory over the Maine Red Claws.

Guaros de Lara (2017)

On April 3, 2017, Robinson signed with Guaros de Lara, competing in Venezuela's Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (LPB). He helped lead the team to the 2017 LPB championship and earned the distinction of being named the LPB Grand Final MVP.

On July 31, 2018, Robinson joined Homenetmen Beirut in the Lebanese Basketball League. His tenure was cut short in September due to an injury sustained while participating in the BIG3 tournament over the summer.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 72 || 26 || 21.4 || .407 || .397 || .752 || 2.3 || 2.0 || .8 || .0 || 9.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 64 || 5 || 21.2 || .434 || .390 || .777 || 2.4 || 1.4 || .8 || .1 || 10.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 72 || 17 || 26.2 || .423 || .332 || .786 || 3.1 || 2.9 || .8 || .0 || 12.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 74 || 11 || 29.9 || .437 || .325 || .841 || 3.9 || 4.1 || 1.3 || .1 || 17.2 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 30 || 2 || 24.4 || .452 || .375 || .778 || 2.4 || 3.7 || .9 || .2 || 13.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 26 || 0 || 14.7 || .401 || .414 || .615 || 1.5 || 2.0 || .8 || .0 || 6.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 55 || 11 || 17.9 || .404 || .328|| .825||1.6||1.9|| .5|| .1||7.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City |4||0||7.5||.267||.250||.750||0.3||1.5||0.0||0.0||3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Golden State |51||9||23.4||.424||.365||.832||2.0||4.5||1.2||0.0||11.2 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Chicago |style="background:#cfecec;" | 82*||23||25.4||.433||.405||.799||2.2||4.4||1.0||0.1||13.1 |-

| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Denver 
|44||1||19.7||.428||.377||.835||1.8||2.5||0.8||0.1||10.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Denver 
|33||1||14.1||0.348||0.261||0.650||1.2||2.3||0.4||0..1||5..8

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | L.A.Clippers 
|9||0||14..0|||0..333|||0..350|||0..833|||1..2|||2..2|||0..7|||0..0|||5..1

|-

| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | 2015–16 New Orleans Pelicans season#Regular Season Stats and Results/New Orleans 
|2|||1|||11..5|||0|||0|||0|||0|||0|||0|||0

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan= "2" | Career
|618|||107|||22..5|||..423||| ..360||| ..796|||2..3|||3..0|||..9|||..1|||11..0

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 17 || 0 || 7.5 || .375 || .333 || .800 || .8 || 1.1 || .4 || .1 || 4.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011 | style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City | 3 || 0 || 4.0 || .286 || .333 || 1.000 || .0 || .3 || .0 || .0 || 2.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013 | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 12 || 8 || 33.7 || .436 || .338 || .756 || 2.7 || 4.4 || 1.0 || .2 || 16.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career | 32 || 8 || 17.0 || .415 || .337 || .776 || 1.4 || 2.3 || .6 || .1 || 8.6

Personal life

Robinson's father, Jacque Robinson, was a distinguished football athlete, recognized as MVP in both the 1982 Rose Bowl and 1985 Orange Bowl. After being selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 1987 draft, he played one NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Robinson's mother operates a beauty salon located in Seattle. Additionally, he is related to point guard Tony Wroten through family ties and possesses Filipino ancestry maternally.

He shares three children with his high school girlfriend.

Outside of basketball, Robinson is passionate about collecting cars, owning models such as a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Challenger, Hummer H2, a blue Porsche Panamera, and an orange Cadillac CTS-V. Among these, his favorite is a Pontiac Firebird that matches the hue of his Cadillac.

In 2022, Robinson revealed his struggle with kidney disease. By April 2024, his health had deteriorated to the point that a kidney transplant became essential for survival. He underwent this transplant successfully in February 2025.

Outside the court

In 2014, Robinson authored a book entitled Heart over Height.

That same year, he opened a chicken and waffles restaurant in Rainier Beach, Seattle, where he grew up.

Robinson joined the Seattle Seahawks practice squad in June 2016.

In 2018, he took on the role of Boots in the basketball-themed comedy film Uncle Drew.

In July 2020, Robinson announced his entry into professional boxing with a debut match against YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition fight. Scheduled initially for September 12 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, the bout was postponed until November 28 to increase revenue potential. Robinson was defeated by Paul via knockout in the second round. Later that year, adult streaming platform Camsoda offered Robinson $200,000 per bout to headline Full Metal Dojo's Fight Circus event.

Professional boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
1	Template:No2Loss	0–1	Jake Paul	KO	2 (6), 1:24	Nov 28, 2020	Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

External links

Nate Robinson profile on nba.com