Career

Best known for his defense, the 6'3" Robertson played for ten years after being selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the seventh pick in the 1984 NBA Draft out of Crowder Junior College and the University of Arkansas. After five seasons with the Spurs, He finished out his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors. He also was a member of 1984 U.S. Olympic gold-medal team.

In 1986, Robertson became the inaugural winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award. 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 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, with 2.71 per contest over 779 career games.

Robertson twice 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 second 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 2007-2008.

A multi-dimensional player, Robertson is one of only four NBA players to record a quadruple-double (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 000000001986-02-18-0000February 18, 1986. He is also the only player to do so with steals as the fourth category (the other three were with blocks).

During the 1993-94 season, the Detroit Pistons traded Robertson to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Mark Macon and Marcus Liberty. However, he never actually saw any playing time for the Nuggets due to pre-existing back injuries.

Robertson scored the first points in Toronto Raptors' history. Ed Pinckney won the franchise's opening tip-off against the New Jersey Nets, Robertson hit a three-pointer, and the Raptors were ahead 3-0.

Personal life

Robertson is the father of Tyrell Johnson, 2008 NFL 2nd round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings. He is also the father of Elgin Cook, a basketball player for the University of Oregon. His brother, Ken Robertson, played basketball for Cleveland State University.

Legal problems

Robertson has had a history of off-court problems, during and after his career. In August 1997, he pleaded no contest to four misdemeanor charges of abusing a former girlfriend and was sentenced to one year in prison. He also spent a month in jail during the 1990 NBA off-season on domestic assault charges against his then-wife. Robertson was arrested again in San Antonio in January 2007, on a variety of charges, several related to domestic violence.

On February 26, 2010, Robertson was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a child, trafficking an underage child for purposes of sex and forcing a sexual performance by a child. Authorities claim that Robertson was part of a ring that kidnapped a 14-year-old girl from San Antonio, forced her to have sex with clients and to dance at a Corpus Christi strip club in 2009. The girl escaped her alleged captors, prompting an investigation. Robertson was found not guilty of all charges on November 30, 2015.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]