NBA.com: James Robinson Bio

An excellent leaper and shooter, James Robinson jumped from the University of Alabama to the NBA after his junior season, and has developed into a long-range scoring threat with a potent three-point shot. Robinson was an outstanding player for the Crimson Tide. After redshirting for a season, the 6-2 guard led Alabama in scoring for three straight years. As a junior, he averaged 20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists and led the team in steals (47) and blocked shots (21). That season, 1992-93, he was named to the All-Southeastern Conference First Team and was an honorable mention All-American. The Portland Trail Blazers selected Robinson with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft. As a rookie in 1993-94 he averaged 4.8 points in 58 games and shot only .365 from the floor. However, given an opportunity to start when Terry Porter was injured, Robinson averaged 13.0 points during one stretch. In 1994-95 he started 25 games, many of those after guard Clyde Drexler was traded to the Houston Rockets. Robinson scored 9.2 points per contest while registering a .409 field goal percentage. The development of Aaron McKie pushed Robinson to the bench for most of 1995-96, but he still averaged 8.5 ppg and made several clutch shots, including a pair of game-winners in the final second. After three seasons with the Blazers, Robinson was traded along with Bill Curley and a conditional first-round draft choice to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Isaiah Rider on July 23, 1996. He led the Timberwolves in three-point shooting in 1996-97 and averaged 8.3 ppg, playing alomost exclusively off the bench. He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers as a veteran free agent on August 16, 1997, and averaged 7.7 ppg in his first season with the Clippers. He was waived by the Clippers on March 18, 1999 and signed to the first of two 10-day contracts on March 26 by Minnesota, which later signed him for the remainder of the season. He averaged 5.9 ppg in 31 games for the two teams.

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Signed for the remainder of the season by the Timberwolves on 4/17 Recorded 15 points (3-4 3FG), 5 rebounds and 3 assists in an 89-75 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 4/16 Totaled 13 points and 4 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs on 4/14 Waived by the Clippers on 3/18 and signed to the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts by the Timberwolves on 3/26 Scored a team and season-high 17 points (7-10 FG) against the Utah Jazz on 2/22 Posted 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals against the Phoenix Suns on 2/13

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Posted 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals in an 83-77 victory over the Sacramento Kings on 4/18 Scored 20 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on 4/9 Registered a season-high 26 points (5-9 3FG), 5 assists and 3 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 4/5 Recorded 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in a 108-86 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 3/29 Totaled 15 points (6-8 FG, 3-3 3FG) and 3 rebounds against the New York Knicks on 3/25 Posted a team-high 22 points and 3 assists against the Utah Jazz on 2/10 Scored a game-high 25 points, hitting 5-of-9 three-pointers, in a 111-102 victory over the Utah Jazz on 2/3 Registered 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against the Indiana Pacers on 2/1 Recorded 20 points (7-11 FG), 4 rebounds and 4 assists against the Washington Wizards on 1/17 Scored 14 points, in 17 minutes, against the Detroit Pistons on 1/12 Totaled 13 points and 3 steals, in 14 minutes, in a 105-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 12/27 Scored 16 points (6-9 FG), in 16 minutes, against the Miami Heat on 11/19 Posted 14 points and 4 assists against the Houston Rockets on 11/5

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Robinson was Minnesota's most effective three-point shooter in his only season as a member of the Timberwolves. He sank 102 treys to tie Stephon Marbury for the team lead, and his percentage of .382 from behind the arc was the best on the club and the third-best in franchise history. An explosive scorer, he played in 69 games, making five starts, and averaged 8.3 points in just 19.0 minutes. In his five starting assignments March 16-23, he averaged 18.0 points and shot .569 from the field. He had 23 double-figure outings and led the TimberWolves in scoring six times, including a season-high 28 in the season finale, a 101-89 loss at Utah on April 19. He tied Isaiah Rider's club record with seven three-pointers in that game, and set a new club mark with 14 attempts. He set a team record by scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter in a 108-96 loss at Cleveland on Dec. 30, hitting six consecutive three-point attempts. Robinson played in two of Minnesota's three playoff games, averaging 7.0 points in 15.5 minutes. Twelve of his 14 total points came from three-point range, where he was 4-for-10. On August 16, Robinson signed with the Los Angeles Clippers as a veteran free agent.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Robinson appeared in a career-high 76 games in 1995-96 but made only five starts due to the emergence of Aaron McKee at shooting guard. He averaged 8.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 21.4 minutes per game, and ranked second on the team with 102 three-pointers. He turned in several clutch shooting performances, netting three-pointers within the final second to win a pair of games, at the Lakers on Nov. 21 and at Toronto on Feb. 5. He also hit a big three-pointer with 56 seconds to go at Vancouver on April 14 that tied the game as the Blazers came from behind to win. He scored in double figures 30 times, getting a season-high 22 points against Cleveland on Jan. 21. He matched his career-high with seven rebounds at Minnesota on Nov. 10, posted a career-high four steals against Minnesota on Jan. 7 and handed out a season-high nine assists at Golden State on April 19. He appeared in only two of Portland's five playoff games, averaging 4.0 ppg in 13.0 mpg. After the season he was traded along with Bill Curley and a conditional first-round pick to Minnesota for Isaiah Rider.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Robinson s productivity increased substantially in his second season with the Portland Trail Blazers. He improved his scoring average to 9.2 points per contest, up from 4.8 as a rookie, and he placed third on the team in three-point baskets. He canned 76 of 223 three-point attempts for a .341 percentage. However, his overall shooting problems continued to hamper his effectiveness. In 1994-95 he shot .409 from the floor and .591 from the line, compared with .365 and .672 the previous season. Robinson made 71 appearances and started 25 times, filling in either for the injured Rod Strickland or the departed Clyde Drexler. Robinson s best game came on January 19 against the Phoenix Suns, when he played 48 minutes and racked up career highs with 30 points and 11 assists. Portland finished the regular season at 44-38 and was then swept in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix. Robinson totaled only 4 minutes in the series, scoring 6 points.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
As a Mississippi high school star, James Robinson competed against Chris Jackson, who went on to collegiate stardom at Louisiana State and NBA fame with the Denver Nuggets. In two high school meetings against Jackson (who later changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), Robinson held an 84-49 scoring edge. As a junior at the University of Alabama in 1992-93, Robinson led the Crimson Tide with 20.6 points per game. The 6-foot-2 scoring machine also tallied 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest and was named to the All-Southeastern Conference First Team. He set a school record by scoring 20 or more points in 12 straight games and became the first junior in Crimson Tide history to surpass 1,500 career points (he finished with 1,831). His scoring average was the highest at Alabama since Buck Johnson s 20.7 in 1986. After such a stellar year Robinson elected to pass up his senior season and enter the 1993 NBA Draft. He was plucked in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 21st overall pick. If nothing else, Robinson s first NBA season provided fans with plenty of excitement. Although he played a small role for the Blazers in 1993-94, his surprising dunking prowess earned him a cult following in Portland, as well as an invitation to compete in the Slam-Dunk Championship at the NBA All-Star Weekend. For the season, he appeared in 58 games, starting three, and averaged 4.8 points in 11.6 minutes per game.