Alvin Cyrrale Robertson (born July 22, 1962) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(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 and is the only player to ever have a season of 300 or more steals which he accomplished in the 1985–86 season. He is one of only four players and the only guard in NBA history to have recorded a

quadruple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: point (basketball), points, rebound (basketball), rebounds, assist (basketball), assist ...

Early life

Alvin Cyrrale Robertson was born on July 22, 1962, in

Barberton, Ohio Barberton is a city in Summit County, Ohio, Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,191 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located directly southwest of Akron, Ohio, Akron, it is a suburb of the Akron metropolitan are ...

College career

Robertson attended Crowder College from 1980 to 1981. He then attended Arkansas from 1981 to 1984.

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (1984–1989)

Best known for his defense, the 6'4" Robertson played for ten years after being selected by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

with the seventh pick in the 1984 NBA draft out of Crowder Junior College and the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

. After five seasons with the Spurs, He finished out his career with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

and the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. 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 The NBA's Most Improved Player (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of sportsw ...

. 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 The NBA Defensive Player of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and b ...

in 1986, and led the league in steals in 1986, 1987 and 1991. Robertson still holds the top career steals-per-game average in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, with 2.71 per contest over 779 career games. Robertson thrice led the league in steals. In 1985–86 he averaged a league-leading 3.7 steals per game, 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. Robertson led the Spurs in steals four of the five seasons he was with the club, three times averaging more than three per game. 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 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. A multi-dimensional player, Robertson is one of only four NBA players to record a

(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 . 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).

Milwaukee Bucks (1989–1993)

On May 28, 1989, Robertson was traded by the Spurs with Cadillac Anderson and a 1989 2nd round draft pick ( Frank Kornet was later selected) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Terry Cummings and a 1990 2nd round draft pick ( Tony Massenburg was later selected). He would continue to be a premier defender on the Bucks, leading the league in steal percentage, an advanced metric, each of his three full seasons. He was also voted to the 1991 all-star team, the same season he led the league in steals for the third time in his career.

Detroit Pistons (1993)

Robertson finished the 1992–93 NBA season with the

. During the 1993–94 season, the Detroit Pistons traded Robertson to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in exchange for Mark Macon and Marcus Liberty. However, he never saw any playing time for the Nuggets due to pre-existing back injuries.

Toronto Raptors (1995–1996)

Robertson scored the first points in

history. Ed Pinckney won the franchise's opening tip-off against the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, Robertson hit a three-pointer, and the Raptors were ahead 3–0.

Florida Beach Dogs (1996–1997)

Robertson played for the Florida Beach Dogs from 1996 to 1997.

Personal life

Robertson is the father of Tyrell Johnson, 2008 NFL 2nd round draft choice of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. He is also the father of Elgin Cook, a professional basketball player. His brother, Ken Robertson, played basketball for

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in oper ...

Legal problems

Robertson has had a history of off-court problems, during and after his career. He spent a month in jail during the 1990 NBA off-season on domestic assault charges against his then-wife. In August 1997, he pleaded no contest to four

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...

charges of abusing a former girlfriend and was sentenced to one year in prison. During the trial he was accused of having kicked in an apartment door while his former girlfriend and her 8-year-old daughter were inside, then taking her wallet and knocking over a television set. Robertson allegedly returned a few hours later and ripped rings off her fingers, tore a watch off her wrist, slashed furniture, damaged clothing and tried to set a fire. Robertson was arrested again in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

in January 2007, on a variety of charges, several related to

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. He was arrested in 2010 on charges of sex trafficking, but was later cleared of all charges after learning the accusations were fabricated. In August 2018, Robertson was arrested in San Antonio on an outstanding warrant for violating a protective order.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 9 , , 21.3 , , .498 , , .364 , , .734 , , 3.4 , , 3.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.3 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 35.1 , , .514 , , .276 , , .795 , , 6.3 , , 5.5 , , style="background:#E0CEF2;", 3.7 , , 0.5 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 78 , , 33.3 , , .466 , , .271 , , .753 , , 6.3 , , 5.2 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 3.2* , , 0.4 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 36.3 , , .465 , , .284 , , .748 , , 6.1 , , 6.8 , , 3.0 , , 0.8 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 65 , , 35.2 , , .483 , , .200 , , .723 , , 5.9 , , 6.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.6 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 81 , , 81 , , 32.1 , , .503 , , .154 , , .741 , , 6.9 , , 5.5 , , 2.6 , , 0.2 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 32.1 , , .485 , , .365 , , .757 , , 5.7 , , 5.5 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 3.0* , , 0.2 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 79 , , 30.0 , , .430 , , .319 , , .763 , , 4.3 , , 4.4 , , 2.6 , , 0.4 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 32 , , 27.3 , , .479 , , .309 , , .629 , , 3.5 , , 4.0 , , 2.3 , , 0.2 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 30 , , 22 , , 31.4 , , .434 , , .343 , , .690 , , 4.4 , , 3.6 , , 2.2 , , 0.3 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 77 , , 69 , , 32.2 , , .470 , , .272 , , .677 , , 4.4 , , 4.2 , , 2.2 , , 0.5 , , 9.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 779 , , 680 , , 31.7 , , .477 , , .295 , , .743 , , 5.2 , , 5.0 , , bgcolor="EOCEF2" , 2.7 , , 0.4 , , 14.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 4 , , 2 , , 15.0 , , .389 , , — , , 1.000 , , 3.3 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , — , , 4.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 32.7 , , .276 , , — , , .846 , , 4.7 , , 6.3 , , 2.3 , , 0.3 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 39.7 , , .566 , , .429 , , .778 , , 4.7 , , 9.3 , , , 4.0 , , 0.3 , , 23.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 38.8 , , .522 , , .000 , , .706 , , 5.8 , , 4.8 , , 2.3 , , 0.0 , , 23.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 39.3 , , .592 , , .333 , , .769 , , 6.0 , , 5.0 , , 2.7 , , 0.0 , , 23.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 13 , , 13 , , 37.7 , , .515 , , .353 , , .754 , , 5.3 , , 6.2 , , 2.8 , , 0.2 , , 20.2

Awards and achievements

* 1st place all-time for steals in a single season with 301. * 1st place all-time in games with at least 5 steals with 142. * 1st place all-time in games with at least 7 steals with 32. * 1st place all-time in games with at least 9 steals with 4. * 1st place all-time in games with at least 10 steals with 4. * Only player in NBA history to record at least 300 steals in a single season. * One of four players in NBA history to record a quadruple double. ** Includes David Robinson, Nate Thurmond, and

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

. * Only player in NBA history to record a quadruple double as a guard.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Alvin 1962 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players American people convicted of assault Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Crowder College alumni Detroit Pistons players Florida Beachdogs players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Milwaukee Bucks players NBA All-Stars Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Sportspeople from Barberton, Ohio Basketball players from Summit County, Ohio San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Shooting guards Toronto Raptors players United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen