David Robinson was one of the premier big men in the NBA for much of the 1990s. A dominant force on both ends of the court, Robinson had won an MVP as well as a Defensive Player of the Year award in the first half of the decade, but he wasn’t able to win a championship, and that was always held against him.
His fortunes changed for the better in 1997 when the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan, and the two led the franchise to its first NBA title in 1999. Robinson finally had the proverbial monkey off his back, so it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t like it when Phil Jackson suggested that there should be an asterisk next to that championship.
Jackson’s reasoning was that it was a lockout-shortened season, and while he may not have thought much about that comment, Robinson clearly remembered it. Both men were present at the 2000 All-Star game, where the big man ignored Jackson, who tried to shake hands with him during his introduction.
Ron Harper Took A Shot At David Robinson
The video of the incident recently went viral, and Ron Harper, who played under Jackson for the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, blasted Robinson for his actions back then.
Loser and hater!!
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) February 19, 2023
“Loser and hater!!”
You can’t really blame Robinson for acting in that manner. He had finally won a championship, and for Jackson to come out and say there should be an asterisk next to it would have pissed him off. As for Harper, he is just defending his former coach here, and the two of them did have the last laugh that season, as the Lakers won the championship.
It was the first title of their historic three-peat, and it looked like Robinson would have to make do with winning just one championship in his career. Fortunately for him, the Spurs would dethrone the Lakers in 2003, and Robinson walked away from the game as a champion.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
