David Robinson is one of the greatest NBA legends of the 90s and won two championships in 1995 as well as the MVP Award. DAZN and SPOX met the former Spurs-Center for a big interview before the start of the season.
Robinson talked about the changes in his old franchise, maybe the last season of Dirk Nowitzki and the differences between today and the 90s. Also, why the move from LeBron James to L.A. doesn’t mean much to the league.
DAZN/SPOX: Mr. Robinson, we have to start the Spurs. Your old team has changed a lot over the summer. What do you expect from Spurs in the coming year?
Davud Robinson: It’s definitely a completely different team. Personally, I am probably one of the saddest people because all my friends are gone. (laughs) All the players I’ve played with are gone. Therefore, everything will be different. Nevertheless, I like the team – a great coach like Pop is worth a lot, and you have established veterans like Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge, who already know the system well. LaMarcus was fantastic last year. And now there is a DeMar DeRozan, who is also extremely talented and can make plays at the end of the game. For me it’s still one of the six or seven best teams in the league that could even win the title if everything goes right.
DAZN/SPOX: The biggest topic of the offseason was probably the change of LeBron James. How much has his move to the West changed the league?
Robinson: Not for me at all. Of course the Lakers did better, but the top teams are still the same. And I don’t see how the Lakers, even with LeBron, are going to play for a championship next year. If they do, I’ll be the first to look for a camera and say that LeBron is the best player ever. That would be really remarkable. But I don’t think they’re ready.
DAZN/SPOX: How do you like the current game as a spectator? What are the biggest differences to your active time?
Robinson: The game is definitely exciting and there is a lot of scoring. What I personally am not a big fan of are bad, ineffective throws, so I don’t think it’s as good as many threes are thrown nowadays. It’s just not a high percentage litter and there are only a handful of Stephen Currys, Klay Thompsons, Kevin Durants or James Hardens. The other players sometimes have to think a little better about when to throw the thing and when not. We obviously won games with our defense and with high-percentage, disciplined offense. This is an area where I don’t like the way the league has developed. But: There is incredible young talent in the league, and I have almost never watched anyone as much as Curry, for example. The generation of athletes who are now joining us also has enormous potential. That’s why I think the league is in good shape – even if it should become more mature in some areas.
DAZN/SPOX: Then you don’t really like the Big Man evolution?
Robinson: I think she always moves a little bit in circles. In my day there were the dominant Big Men, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq or Rik Smits – that was great, but the development goes on and on and now it’s shifted so far out that the 7 footers want to throw all three as well. But people will also soon notice again that they can earn a lot of money even if they go into the zone and do their job there. There are also some of them now who may not be able to produce extreme statistics, but are well paid to fight for every inch under the basket. I think the development will go more in this direction again. And there are already young Bigs again, who can be dominant under the basket, like Karl Towns, Anthony Davis or Joel Embiid.
DAZN/SPOX: Another aspect that didn’t exist in your time is analytics. How do you feel about the new statistics?
Robinson: I think they are very important and valuable. But it’s like everything else: If you don’t use it right, you don’t get much of it. Computers are fantastic, but there are many schools that don’t know how to use them. They can be an important part of education, but they don’t have to be. So it all depends on how you use it. But I think analytics can make a huge difference. For example, if you don’t know what percentage you will hit if you go up to the pull-up via the right hand after two dribblings, you might make a completely wrong decision – you might have a 30 percent higher hit rate if you go left. The numbers can tell you, “Go left!” There are now many players who know the numbers and become smarter and better as a result. LeBron knows which of his fellow players has the best odds at which location – some of them come naturally to him, but others are promoted by analytics. The teams today are much better at evaluating figures correctly and drawing added value from them.
DAZN/SPOX: Especially the 90s were well known for trash talk, but you were always considered a very polite and friendly person. Did you still get involved?
Robinson (grins): I have always tended to let my game speak for itself. But it definitely plays a big role on this level, it’s a mental game and you have to like it too, the competition and the fight. As Big Man, who had long been the focus of attention for the Spurs, I had no choice, I was challenged playfully and verbally in every single game. But this competition was fun for me and trash talk is just a part of it. But I was always of the opinion: If you talk in my direction Trash talk, you are afraid of me. Why else would you do it? If you were convinced you could beat me, you wouldn’t need it. But if you’re talking to get an advantage – for me trash talk was a sign of weakness. I was more pleased than intimidated. The best players didn’t need trash talk. Hakeem barely talked, but you knew it would always be a long night against him. Players like Reggie Miller, Gary Payton or Michael Jordan, on the other hand, used the talk to motivate themselves – that was something else. They knew how to use it for themselves.
DAZN/SPOX: Who was the best trash talker?
Robinson: The boys mentioned. Someone like Payton was very good at talking and intimidating all the time, and the way he used it, it was partly really successful and opponents of him gave up. Some players couldn’t cope with this challenge. Michael or Larry Bird were also very good at it. But again: Most great players didn’t let Trash-Talk intimidate them, but only spur them on.
DAZN/SPOX: You played with some of these players in the Dream Team in 1992 – how did it work back then to subordinate so many competitors to one goal as a team?
Robinson: It was very difficult, it was a collection of strong personalities, of alpha animals. It’s not enough to lock everyone up in one room and say, “Work together.” Half of them then think that all men should follow their lead. (laughs) But basketball doesn’t work that way, of course. It’s a game where you help each other and you have five players trying to make each other better. That’s why it was difficult, in such a situation you need a coach with a strong personality who can bring the players into line.
DAZN/SPOX: Then how did you experience it in a playful way to run up together with all the legends?
Robinson: It was just crazy, an incredible experience. It was also very rare for us to stand on the court with four guys who were at least as good as ourselves. (laughs) Great yokes, great shooters, great decision making – it was so easy, it was just fun. We pushed each other, which made it difficult within the team – but at the same time it was so easy …
Page 1: Robinson about the Spurs, today’s game and trash talk
Page 2: Robinson about competitors in training, social media and the new season