Oscar Robertson: Basketball
Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938) is a retired NBA player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. He was drawn to basketball when he was younger, shooting and tossing tennis balls and rags bound with rubber bands into a basket at the back of his family’s home. He attended Cincinnati College and during the 1960 NBA Draft, he was first picked by the Cincinnati Royals giving him a $33,000 signing bonus. He averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists, almost averaging a triple-double for the season. Robertson played for the team for 10 years after being traded to the Bucks and played for them with a rocky start but later became beneficial after pairing with Lew Alcindor.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Robertson is a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA team player, one-time MVP in 14 professional seasons. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice, a member of the 1960 US men’s Olympic Basketball Team and part of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
Why Was He So Good?
Oscar Robertson is regarded as a triple threat – he could score inside, outside and also was an outstanding playmaker. He is the third highest of any rookie in NBA history with an average of 30.5 points per game. He was ranked 36th best American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN.
What You May Not Know
- When Oscar Robertson was young, he enjoyed playing basketball because he thought of it as a “poor kid’s game”.
- He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from University of Cincinnati, his college university.
- Robertson left NBA with 26,710 points, 9,887 assists and 7,804 rebounds in 1,040 games.
- When he retired, he worked to improve living conditions of African-Americans in his hometown, Indianapolis, helping build affordable housing.
Related Pages
- More basketball players
- Athlete Database home
- About the sport of Basketball
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