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An excellent and disciplined high school student, Robinson was admitted to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He had been a fine high school basketball player and planned to try out for the Navy varsity team. The basketball program at Navy has a severe handicap; no one over six feet six inches (198.1cm) is admitted to the academy because of height restrictions on submarines. David was under six feet six inches when he was accepted to Annapolis but then experienced a phenomenal growth spurt. By his junior year
David was approaching seven feet (213.3cm) and becoming a great basketball player. Single-handedly, Robinson led the Midshipmen to a conference title and through the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament. David led Navy back to the NCAA and was a consensus All-American as a senior. As the NBA draft approached, the big question was whether the Navy would require David to do his mandatory four-year, full-time duty or allow him to turn pro. A compromise was reached before the draft; Robinson would be permitted to play in the NBA after two-year stint in the Navy, followed by part-time duty. The San Antonio Spurs had the first draft pick in 1987
and had to decide whether or not to take Robinson, who would not play for two years and would have the option of reentering the draft in either of those two years. The Spurs decided that "The Admiral" was worth the risk; they made the right decision.
When Robinson finally joined the Spurs for the 1989-90 season there was considerable speculation that he would be a bust. Robinson had been the starting center and premier star of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team that had floundered in Seoul, taking a bronze medal in the worst performance ever by a U.S basketball team. Critics noted that Robinson seemed to experience lapses on the court; he would be brilliant for five minutes and then invisible the next five.
In his rookie NBA season, The Admiral averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, and almost 4 blocked shots per game, and led the Spurs to a first-place finish in the Midwestern division. The team's 56-26 mark was a record-setting 35-game improvement over the previous season, surpassing both the 32-game improvement made by the Celtics in Larry Bird's first year and the 29-game boost that Lew Alcindor gave the Bucks in his rookie season. However, both Larry and Lew led their teams to a NBA title in their second seasons, while Robinson's Spurs faltered in his. After losing an epic seven-game series to the
Trail Blazers in the second round on 1990 playoffs, the Spurs seemed destined to become the Western Conference's next dominant
team. Robinson's strong supporting cast included promising rookies forward Sean Elliot and point guard Rod Strickland, as well as mature veterans power forward Terry Cummings and guard Maurice Cheeks. Robinson continued to improve in his second NBA campaign, winning the rebounding title and leading the Spurs to another division title. However, Golden State stunned San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. In a brilliant strategic maneuver, the undersize Warriors forced Robinson to play perimeter defense by having their center dribble the ball upcourt and, in effect, play point guard.
The next three seasons were tumultuous in San Antonio. Coaching mastermind Larry Brown departed in the middle of Robinson's third season, and the Spurs managed only 47 wins before getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix. Then, in an ill-advised, move, the Spurs hired college coaching legend Jerry Tarkanian to turn things around. Tarkanian was not cut out for the NBA, however, and stepped down after just 20 games. Tarkanian's assistant, John Lucas, took reins and guided the Spurs back on course, through they lost to Charles Barkely and the Suns in the second round of the playoffs.
Things looked even brighter in 1993-94 as the Spurs revival continued through the regular season. The Spurs make a key acquisition in the off-season: free agent power forward Dennis Rodman, a great defender and even better rebounder. Rodman had won two consecutive rebounding titles with the Pistons, averaging 4 more rebounds per game than any other player in the league. Rodman's presence on the offensive glass allowed Robinson to concentrate more on scoring. Consequently, the Admiral averaged 29.8 points per game, an increase of more than 6 points over the previous season. On the last day of the season Robinson needed a big
performance to remain ahead of Shaquille O'Neal for the scoring title. Coach Lucas instructed the Spurs to feed David the ball throughout the game and The Admiral responded with an amazing 71-point outburst, only the ninth time in NBA history that someone reached the 70-point plateau. The effort clinched the scoring title for Robinson. Rodman won another rebounding title. It was the first time in league history that teammates won the scoring and rebounding titles in the same season. The Spurs finished with 55 wins, and
just when it seemed they were back on track, Utah upset them in the first round of the playoffs. Shortly thereafter, Coach Lucas quit to take over the 76ers, and the Spurs were again in disarray.
The next year, 1994-95, Robinson averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.23 blocks; paced the Spurs to the NBA’s best record at 62-20; and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The Spurs advanced to the conference finals before losing to Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets, who went on to dispatch O’Neal and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals.
The troublesome Dennis Rodman was traded in 1995-96 for Will Perdue. Because of this David found it hard to carry his Spurs both defensively and offensively. 1996-97 was a terrible year for the Admiral. David missed all but six games due to back problems and a broken foot. Not suprisingly the Spurs struggled throughout the season with their on court leader on the sidelines.
Due to the Spurs lackluster performance of 1996-97 they were lucky enough to secure the number one pick in the up and coming NBA lottery. The choice was obvious for the Spurs management, they chose Tim Duncan, a 7 foot All American from Wake Forrest. Between Tim and David they have formed to become the NBA's most feared 'twin towers'. With David, Tim and the Spurs talented roster the Spurs promise to contest many NBA titles in the future.
