Alvin Robertson

Alvin Cyrrale Robertson (born July 22, 1962) is an American retired basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 1993, and for one final season in 1995–96. Robertson holds the record for the most steals per game played, averaging 2.71 steals per game for his career. He is the only guard in NBA history to have recorded a quadruple-double.

Alvin Robertson

Personal information
Born	(1962-07-22) July 22, 1962 Barberton, Ohio
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	Barberton (Barberton, Ohio)
College	Crowder College (1980–1981) Arkansas (1981–1984)
NBA draft	1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career	1984–1997
Position	Shooting guard
Number	21, 3, 7
Career history
1984–1989	San Antonio Spurs
1989–1993	Milwaukee Bucks
1993	Detroit Pistons
1995–1996	Toronto Raptors
1996–1997	Florida Beach Dogs
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA All-Star (1986–1988, 1991) All-NBA Second Team (1986) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1986) 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1991) 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1986, 1988–1990) NBA Most Improved Player (1986) 3× NBA steals leader (1986, 1987, 1991) Second-team All-American – UPI (1984) Third-team All-American – AP (1984)
Career NBA statistics
Points	10,882 (14.0 ppg)
Rebounds	4,066 (5.2 rpg)
Steals	2,112 (2.7 spg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles Team competition

Career

Best known for his defense, the 6'3" Robertson played for ten years after being selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the seventh pick in the 1984 NBA draft out of Crowder Junior College and the University of Arkansas. After five seasons with the Spurs, He finished out his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors. He also was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic gold-medal team.

In 1986, Robertson became the inaugural winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award. This also marked the first of four National Basketball Association All-Star Game appearances for the guard (the others coming in 1987, 1988, and 1991). He also won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1986,[1] and led the league in steals in 1986, 1987 and 1991. Robertson still holds the top career steals-per-game average in the NBA, with 2.71 per contest over 779 career games.[2]

Robertson thrice led the league in steals. In 1985–86 he averaged a league-leading 3.7 steals per game,[3] a major factor in his earning the Defensive Player of the Year honor and being selected second-team All-NBA, one of only seven players in Spurs' history to have been selected first, second or third-team All-NBA. He was a four-time All-Star.[4]

Robertson led the Spurs in steals four of the five seasons he was with the club, three times averaging more than three per game.[3] Though he played only five seasons in San Antonio, he ranks third in club history in total steals, with 1,129. During his San Antonio days, he also recorded a steal in a then-NBA-record 105 consecutive games; Chris Paul surpassed it by recording a steal in 108 consecutive games from 2007 to 2008.[5]

A multi-dimensional player, Robertson is one of only four NBA players to record a quadruple-double (double digits in four statistical categories in a single game) when he registered 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals while playing for the Spurs against the Phoenix Suns on February 18, 1986.[6] He is also the only non-center to record a quadruple-double, and the only player to do so with steals as the fourth category (the other three were with blocks).[7]

During the 1993–94 season, the Detroit Pistons traded Robertson to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Mark Macon and Marcus Liberty. However, he never saw any playing time for the Nuggets due to pre-existing back injuries.[8]

Robertson scored the first points in Toronto Raptors' history. Ed Pinckney won the franchise's opening tip-off against the New Jersey Nets, Robertson hit a three-pointer, and the Raptors were ahead 3–0.[9]

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
*	Led the league		NBA record

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1984–85	San Antonio	79	9	21.3	.498	.364	.734	3.4	3.5	1.6	0.3	9.2
1985–86	San Antonio	82	82	35.1	.514	.276	.795	6.3	5.5	3.7	0.5	17.0
1986–87	San Antonio	81	78	33.3	.466	.271	.753	6.3	5.2	3.2*	0.4	17.7
1987–88	San Antonio	82	82	36.3	.465	.284	.748	6.1	6.8	3.0	0.8	19.6
1988–89	San Antonio	65	65	35.2	.483	.200	.723	5.9	6.0	3.0	0.6	17.3
1989–90	Milwaukee	81	81	32.1	.503	.154	.741	6.9	5.5	2.6	0.2	14.2
1990–91	Milwaukee	81	81	32.1	.485	.365	.757	5.7	5.5	3.0*	0.2	13.6
1991–92	Milwaukee	82	79	30.0	.430	.319	.763	4.3	4.4	2.6	0.4	12.3
1992–93	Milwaukee	39	32	27.3	.479	.309	.629	3.5	4.0	2.3	0.2	8.7
1992–93	Detroit	30	22	31.4	.434	.343	.690	4.4	3.6	2.2	0.3	9.3
1995–96	Toronto	77	69	32.2	.470	.272	.677	4.4	4.2	2.2	0.5	9.3
Career		779	680	31.7	.477	.295	.743	5.2	5.0	2.7	0.4	14.0
All-Star		4	2	15.0	.389	—	1.000	3.3	1.8	0.5	—	4.5

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1986	San Antonio	3	3	32.7	.276	—	.846	4.7	6.3	2.3	0.3	9.0
1988	San Antonio	3	3	39.7	.566	.429	.778	4.7	9.3	4.0	0.3	23.3
1990	Milwaukee	4	4	38.8	.522	.000	.706	5.8	4.8	2.3	0.0	23.5
1991	Milwaukee	3	3	39.3	.592	.333	.769	6.0	5.0	2.7	0.0	23.7
Career		13	13	37.7	.515	.353	.754	5.3	6.2	2.8	0.2	20.2

Personal life

Robertson is the father of Tyrell Johnson, 2008 NFL 2nd round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings.[10] He is also the father of Elgin Cook, a basketball player for the Santa Cruz Warriors. His brother, Ken Robertson, played basketball for Cleveland State University.[11]

Legal problems

Robertson has had a history of off-court problems, during and after his career. In August 1997, he pleaded no contest to four misdemeanor charges of abusing a former girlfriend and was sentenced to one year in prison.[12] He also spent a month in jail during the 1990 NBA off-season on domestic assault charges against his then-wife. Robertson was arrested again in San Antonio in January 2007, on a variety of charges, several related to domestic violence.[13]

On February 26, 2010, Robertson was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a child, trafficking an underage child for purposes of sex and forcing a sexual performance by a child. Authorities claim that Robertson was part of a ring that kidnapped a 14-year-old girl from San Antonio, forced her to have sex with clients and to dance at a Corpus Christi strip club in 2009. The girl escaped her alleged captors, prompting an investigation. It was determined that the entire story was made up. There is still no explanation on why the accuser made this story up.[14][15] Robertson was found not guilty of all charges on November 30, 2015.[16]

See also

• List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
• List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game

References

1. "Defensive Player of the Year". NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
2. "Regular Season Records: Steals". NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
3. "Season Leaders for Steals Per Game". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
4. Monroe, Mike (February 20, 2007). "Top 30 NBA Spurs — No. 10: Alvin Robertson". MySA.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
5. Armstrong, Jennifer (December 25, 2008). "New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul has steals streak stopped in dismal loss to Orlando Magic". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
6. "San Antonio Spurs History". spurs.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
7. "Nate Thurmond's Most MemoraBull Game". December 18, 2006. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
8. http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/1994_draft/draft/13.html. Retrieved on April 20, 2007.
9. Lankhof, Bill. "Constant change". SLAM! sports. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
10. Scout.com: Tyrell Johnson: Forgotten Man Gains Ground
11. UT Faces Cleveland State's Run-And-Stun Style"
12. "Robertson Sentenced to Jail". New York Times. August 19, 1997. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
13. "Former Spurs star Robertson arrested on six warrants". ESPN.com. February 1, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
14. "Ex-NBA All-Star accused of sex trafficking". msnbc.com. February 26, 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
15. Gonzales, Eileen (February 26, 2010). "Ex-Spur Arrested In Human Trafficking Probe". ksat.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
16. "Charges against Alvin Robertson related to alleged sex ring dismissed". ESPN.com. December 1, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2018.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Basketball-Reference.com