Robinson didn’t play in the NBA during the 2005-‘06 season because of ankle and elbow spurs. He was also mentally drained after the death of his mother. At the age of 33, Robinson’s NBA career could be over.
When Robinson was inducted into the Purdue Athletic Hall of Fame this spring, he told reporters "It’s just getting to the point where I’m tired of playing in pain. I figured I’d sit this year out and see how I feel next year. I’ll see how I feel this summer. If I can’t go, I’ll probably hang up my sneakers."
When the Bucks won the 1994 NBA lottery, the top candidates to consider were Robinson, Grant Hill and Jason Kidd. While a strong case could have been made at the time for all three players, it was pretty clear that Mike Dunleavy, the Bucks coach and general manager at the time, had his eyes on Robinson.
Robinson spent eight seasons with the Bucks, averaging more than 20 points per game in seven of those years. A strained relationship with teammate Ray Allen and the presence of Tim Thomas helped lead to Robinson being traded to Atlanta in the summer of 2002 for Toni Kukoc and a first-round draft choice. Robinson spent just one season with the Hawks and was then dealt to Philadelphia. He played only 42 games with the Sixers over close to two seasons before being sent to New Orleans in a salary cap deal. He never played for the Hornets before they waived him.
Robinson was picked up by San Antonio late in the 2004-’05 season and won a championship with the Spurs. There was irony in that short-term partnership because the Spurs are known as an unselfish team which stresses defense. The main criticisms about Robinson’s game revolved around his perceived offensive selfishness and weakness on defense.
Even if just a bit player on that title team, Robinson is the only member of the 1994 draft class to win a championship ring. In fact, he’s the only #1 overall pick in the 1990’s besides Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan to be on a championship team. Dallas took Jason Kidd with the second pick in ’94 and Detroit grabbed Grant Hill with the third choice. Kidd and Hill shared rookie of the year honors in 1994-’95. While he got to the finals twice with New Jersey, Kidd has never won a title. Hill’s career has been marred by injuries since he signed as a free agent with Orlando. It’s clear he will never again be the player who showed so much promise and he could be close to retirement.
Perceptions always hurt Robinson, in Milwaukee and throughout the NBA. Kidd has always had the admiration of NBA purists for his ability to set up others as a pass-first point guard. Hill was the media darling for his articulate, engaging personality.
Robinson was never comfortable in the spotlight. He rose from poverty in Gary, Indiana, and was never interested in playing popularity contests or political games. He was a shooter and a scorer. If you didn’t like him -- too bad.
Sam Cassell has often made the case that Robinson’s number 13 should hang from the Bradley Center rafters someday. The numbers seem to support him. Robinson is the Bucks second all-time leading scorer, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His career scoring average is also second in franchise history to Kareem.
Glenn Robinson never brought the Bucks a championship. He helped the Bucks get to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001, but his miss of a late short shot in the pivotal Game 5 lingers in the memory.
If Robinson’s career is over, maybe he didn’t fully live up to the high expectations.
But he was what he was; a shooter and a scorer.
Dennis Krause joined OnMilwaukee.com as a contributor on June 16, 2006. He is a two-time Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year and a regional Emmy-award winner. Dennis has been the color analyst on home games for the Milwaukee Bucks Radio Network for the last 10 years. He has also been involved with the Green Bay Packers Radio Network for 16 years and is currently the host of the "Packers Game Day" pre-game show.
Dennis started his broadcasting career as a radio air personality in the Fox Valley and Milwaukee.
He spent three years as a sportscaster at WMBD radio and television in Peoria, Illinois before joining WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee in 1987 as a weekend sports anchor. Dennis spent 16 years at Channel 4, serving as its Sports Director and 5 and 6 pm sports anchor from 1994-2003.
Dennis grew up in Hartford, Wisconsin and attended UW-Oshkosh. He lives in Thiensville with his wife and two children. He serves as the Community Resource Director for the Mequon-Thiensville School District.
