US Olympic Legend David Robinson

There is so much to like about David Robinson. He played for the Naval Academy. Robinson fulfilled his service commitment for 2 years, giving up two great years in the NBA in the process. The Admiral was also a key piece of the US National team for a number of years. He played in three Olympics and also competed in the World Championships and Pan American Games. The guy also spent his entire career with one team, the San Antonio Spurs. Not only that, but he also grew up in Northern Virginia just like me. Robinson is truly a great American and I can proudly say that he is my all-time favorite athlete.

Let's look a little closer at his Olympic record though. Robinson's Olympic journey started in 1988 before professionals were allowed to play in the Olympics. For those Olympics in Seoul, Robinson carried the team with the help of Danny Manning. There are no other really good players from that squad. The only other players that had solid careers were Mitch Richmond, JR Reid, and Dan Majerle. None of those players were spectacular either. Despite that, the Americans went undefeated in group play. They also blew out two opponents in the championship bracket. Unfortunately, they had one loss in the semifinal to Russia and ended up with the bronze medal. This was the last amateur basketball team the US sent to the Olympics. They definitely were quite competitive.

That would be the last time Robinson failed to win Gold at the Olympics. He came back in 1992 as a member of the dream team. Not only was he on the dream team, but a lot of people don't realize that he was the starting Center on the dream team. At the time, Robinson was the best big man in basketball. The guy dominated at these Olympics. Just as America dominated at these Olympics. There will never be an Olympic basketball team as dominate as the 1992 dream team. The admiral had as much to do with that as MJ.

Following the Dream Team was the 1996 Olympic Team that played the games right here in America. This was the last really good Olympic team. During these Olympics the US again ran through the competition and failed to lose a game. None of the games were really close. Robinson played a huge part in this Olympic victory. This Olympic team was very underrated. Go back and look at that roster. To give you a glimpse at how dominant they were, just look at their Centers versus the center this year. In 1996, we had Robinson, Shaq, and Hakeem. This year all we got is Tyson Chandler. The 1996 team was not far behind the Dream Team.

After his playing career was ended, Robinson was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame Class in 2008. Two golds and one bronze for basketball, not too shabby at all.

-Noland