Clifford Ralph Robinson (December 16, 1966August 29, 2020) was an American 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 18 seasons 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). Selected in the second round of the

1989 NBA draft The 1989–90 NBA season, 1989 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1989, in New York City. Despite eight of the top ten picks being considered busts, including the first two picks Pervis Ellison and Danny Ferry, the draft produced many talented play ...

, he played the first eight seasons of his career with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

, followed by stints with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

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 ...

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, and

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 ...

. Robinson received the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

in 1993 and was selected as an

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

in 1994. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

UConn Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, with its main campus located in Storrs, Connecticut. The school is a member of ...

College basketball career

Robinson played four seasons at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

beginning in 1985. The Huskies won the

1988 National Invitation Tournament The 1988 National Invitation Tournament was the 1988 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.

championship, and he was named to the all-tournament team. Robinson was later named to UConn's All-Century men's basketball team. On February 5, 2007, Robinson's number "00" was retired at Gampel Pavilion during halftime of a UConn basketball game against

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

as part of the "Huskies of Honor" ceremony which recognized personal accomplishments of 13 former players and 3 coaches.

Professional basketball career

Portland Trail Blazers (1989–1997)

Robinson was selected with the 36th overall pick in the second round of the

by the

. Robinson played for the Trail Blazers for eight seasons. Portland made the playoffs each year he was on the team, and played in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

and

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. Robinson won the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1992–93 after averaging 19.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and a career-best 1.99 blocks per game. He was an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

with the team in

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

. Following Game 4 of the 1992 Western Conference finals against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, Robinson performed a victory dance that he later told press was named the "Uncle Cliffy". The nickname stuck with Robinson for the rest of his career. Following a game against the

on February 22, 1995, Robinson was forced to end his 461 iron man streak of consecutive games played since the start of his career. This streak stands as a franchise record for the Trail Blazers.

Phoenix Suns (1997–2001)

Robinson signed with the

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on August 25, 1997, where he remained for four more seasons. The highlight of his tenure with the Suns was registering a career-best 50 points against 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 ...

on January 16, 2000. He became the oldest player in NBA history to register his first 50-point game, aged 33 years and 2 months.

Detroit Pistons (2001–2003)

Robinson was traded to the

on June 29, 2001, in exchange for Jud Buechler and John Wallace.

Golden State Warriors (2003–2005)

Robinson was traded to the

on August 21, 2003, along with Pepe Sánchez, in exchange for Bob Sura. Although he played all 82 games during the regular season, it would be the first season in his career where he would not participate in the

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

New Jersey Nets (2005–2007)

On February 14, 2005, Golden State traded Robinson to the

in exchange for two second-round draft picks. He played with the Nets for two more seasons until he was released by the team in July 2007. Robinson then retired.

Suspensions

Robinson was arrested for

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

possession and

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...

in February 2001 and received a one-game suspension. Robinson was also suspended for five games in February 2005 while playing for Golden State, and was suspended for five games during the NBA playoffs on May 12, 2006, for violating terms of the league's drug policy for the second time in two seasons.

Retrospective

Robinson held career NBA per-game averages of 14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.05 steals, and 1.03 blocks. As of March 2024, his 1,380 NBA games played is the 14th-highest total in NBA history. Robinson was one of only two players drafted in the 1980s that was still active in the league in 2007, with the other being

Kevin Willis Kevin Alvin Willis (born September 6, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player mostly known for playing with the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 7-foot power forward/ center. Excluding playe ...

. He played in the

in all but one of his 18 seasons in the league. At 6'10", he was the tallest player to make more than 1,000 three-pointers until he was surpassed by

Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the great ...

and

Rashard Lewis Rashard Quovon Lewis (born August 8, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Lewis entered the NBA directly from Alief Elsik High School. He rose to prominence in the NBA as a scorer with the Seattle SuperSonics, and was late ...

. As of 2019, Robinson was one of seven players to record 1,300 steals and 1,300 blocked shots in his ABA/NBA career; the others are

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

, Bobby Jones,

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 ...

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

and Ben Wallace.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 82 , , 0 , , 19.1 , , .397 , , .273 , , .550 , , 3.8 , , .9 , , .6 , , .6 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 11 , , 23.7 , , .463 , , .316 , , .653 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 7 , , 25.9 , , .466 , , .091 , , .664 , , 5.1 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 12 , , 31.4 , , .473 , , .247 , , .690 , , 6.6 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 2.0 , , 19.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 64 , , 34.8 , , .457 , , .245 , , .765 , , 6.7 , , 1.9 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , 20.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 73 , , 36.3 , , .452 , , .371 , , .694 , , 5.6 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 21.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 76 , , 38.2 , , .423 , , .378 , , .664 , , 5.7 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 79 , , 38.0 , , .426 , , .346 , , .696 , , 4.0 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 80 , , 64 , , 29.5 , , .479 , , .321 , , .689 , , 5.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , 35 , , 34.8 , , .475 , , .417 , , .697 , , 4.5 , , 2.6 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 80 , , 67 , , 35.5 , , .464 , , .370 , , .782 , , 4.5 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 33.5 , , .422 , , .361 , , .709 , , 4.1 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 16.4 , - , 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 ...

, 80 , , 80 , , 35.7 , , .425 , , .378 , , .694 , , 4.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 69 , , 34.9 , , .398 , , .336 , , .676 , , 3.9 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 34.7 , , .387 , , .357 , , .711 , , 4.1 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .9 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 42 , , 29 , , 26.0 , , .398 , , .331 , , .603 , , 2.7 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 29 , , 0 , , 20.7 , , .361 , , .379 , , .692 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .5 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 13 , , 23.3 , , .427 , , .343 , , .658 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .5 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 1 , , 19.1 , , .372 , , .379 , , .444 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 1380 , , 844 , , 30.8 , , .438 , , .356 , , .689 , , 4.6 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 14.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .625 , , .000 , , – , , 2.0 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 10.0

Playoffs

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

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

, 21 , , 6 , , 18.6 , , .358 , , .000 , , .558 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , 6.5 , - , 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;",

, 16 , , 0 , , 22.1 , , .538 , , .333 , , .551 , , 3.9 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 21 , , 0 , , 24.9 , , .462 , , .167 , , .571 , , 4.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 32.8 , , .262 , , .000 , , .409 , , 4.3 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 1.8 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 37.3 , , .412 , , .222 , , .875 , , 6.3 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , 1.5 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 39.7 , , .362 , , .235 , , .563 , , 6.3 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

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

, 5 , , 5 , , 36.2 , , .344 , , .261 , , .757 , , 3.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 40.3 , , .362 , , .188 , , .688 , , 6.8 , , 3.0 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 4 , , 4 , , 23.0 , , .273 , , .000 , , .778 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 3 , , 3 , , 39.0 , , .475 , , .222 , , .636 , , 5.3 , , 2.7 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 9 , , 9 , , 37.0 , , .386 , , .325 , , .733 , , 6.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 4 , , 4 , , 28.5 , , .420 , , .250 , , .636 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

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

, 10 , , 10 , , 40.9 , , .363 , , .340 , , .800 , , 3.0 , , 2.9 , , 1.8 , , 1.9 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

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

, 17 , , 17 , , 30.8 , , .358 , , .373 , , .595 , , 2.7 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .8 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 17.8 , , .407 , , .286 , , 1.000 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

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

, 8 , , 0 , , 24.8 , , .333 , , .316 , , .800 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .167 , , .500 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 141 , , 69 , , 27.6 , , .393 , , .298 , , .629 , , 3.9 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 10.3

Post-NBA endeavors

''Survivor''

Robinson was a contestant in the 28th installment of the American reality television series ''

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...

'' (filmed in 2013 and broadcast the following year). Although he did not initially plan to reveal his identity, he was recognized by another contestant. He was the fifth contestant of the season to be voted out, finishing in 14th place.

Basketball diplomacy

In 2014, Robinson was named to a team assembled by

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

as part of his "basketball diplomacy" effort in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

with the job of playing an exhibition match against the Northern Korean Senior National Basketball Team to celebrate the birthday of

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

. The team also included Kenny Anderson,

Vin Baker Vinny Lamont Baker (born November 23, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games. He currently serves as an assistant coac ...

Craig Hodges Craig Anthony Hodges (born June 27, 1960)
''basketball-reference.com''. Retrieved March 19, 2011 is an ...

Doug Christie Douglas Dale Christie (born May 9, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at , Christie played the shooting guar ...

Sleepy Floyd Eric Augustus "Sleepy" Floyd (born March 6, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. An NBA All-Star in 1987 as a Warrior, he is perhaps best known for his tenures for Golden State and Houston. Early life, family and education ...

, Charles D. Smith, and four "streetballers".

Cannabis entrepreneurship

During his post-basketball life, Robinson became an entrepreneur in the

cannabis industry The cannabis industry is composed of legal Cannabis cultivation, cultivators and producers, consumers, independent industrial standards bodies, ancillary products and services, regulators and researchers concerning cannabis and its industrial deriv ...

, selling assorted

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

products under his "Uncle Cliffy" brand name. He was also an advocate for the

legalization of cannabis The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. The ...

, supporting efforts to reform cannabis laws in the states of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. During his time in the NBA, Robinson used cannabis to help relieve pain and anxiety, and to avoid the undesirable side effects caused by

pharmaceutical drugs Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

. He partially attributed the longevity of his NBA career to his use of cannabis. Robinson appeared in the 2019 Netflix film '' Grass Is Greener'', which examines the history of cannabis prohibition in the United States.

Personal life

On September 21, 2003, Robinson married Heather Lufkins on the island of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. His son Isaiah Robinson played basketball for the Jefferson High School Democrats in Portland and for the

Houston Baptist Huskies The Houston Christian Huskies, HCU or Huskies (formerly known as Houston Baptist, HBU) are the athletic teams that represent Houston Christian University, located in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level ...

Health issues and death

Robinson suffered a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

in March 2017 that paralyzed the left side of his body, but he soon recovered much of his arm and leg movement. He had a tumor removed from his jaw in March 2018. In March 2019, Robinson underwent surgery for cancer. He died of

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

on August 29, 2020, at the age of 53.

References

External links

NBA bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Clifford 1966 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen American cannabis activists American men's basketball players Basketball players from Buffalo, New York Businesspeople in the cannabis industry Centers (basketball) Deaths from cancer in Oregon Deaths from lymphoma in the United States Detroit Pistons players Golden State Warriors players NBA All-Stars New Jersey Nets players Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards Small forwards Survivor (franchise) contestants UConn Huskies men's basketball players

College basketball career

Professional basketball career

Portland Trail Blazers (1989–1997)

Phoenix Suns (1997–2001)

Detroit Pistons (2001–2003)

Golden State Warriors (2003–2005)

New Jersey Nets (2005–2007)

Suspensions

Retrospective

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Post-NBA endeavors

''Survivor''

Basketball diplomacy

Cannabis entrepreneurship

Personal life

Health issues and death

See also

References

External links