Former NBA star Clifford Robinson dies at 53
Clifford Robinson, 53, Former 1994 NBA All-Star and 1993 Sixth Man of the Year, has died.
University of Connecticut Men’s Basketball team confirmed this on Saturday August 29, 2020 via its official Twitter account.
“The UConn Basketball family mourns the loss of a legendary player and person, Clifford Robinson. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cliff’s family at this difficult time. Rest In Peace, Cliff,” the tweet reads.
Before Robinson started his 18-year NBA career, he played for Huskies from 1985-1988.
Afterwards he was named to the program’s All-Century men’s basketball team.
Robinson played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets during his 18 NBA seasons as a veteran.
In 1989 NBA Draft, Portland Trail Blazers selected Robinson in the second round at No. 36 overall. He spent his first eight years from 1989 to 1997 with the team.
In 2000, he was named two times to the NBA All-Defensive Second Teams as a member of the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons in 2002.
Upon completion of his NBA career as the 13th-most in NBA history, Robinson had averages of 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 1,380 career games.
Robinson’s number “00”Jersey was retired in 2007 by UConn as part of “Huskies of Honor” ceremony, that recognized 13 former players and three coaches.
Former UConn coach Jim Calhoun, while paying tribute to Robinson, said on Hearst Media, “he was our first great player.”
He added that “He came from a difficult background in Buffalo, I watched him evolve as a man.
“He was a good man, had a great career, and was instrumental in a lot of the great things that happened at UConn.”
Years before his death, Robinson had some heath issues.
In 2017, he suffered brain hemorrhage that paralyzed his left side of his body while in 2018 he had a surgery that saw a tumor removed from his jaw.
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