David Robinson's teammates and others share their thoughts on The Admiral.

Stephen Jackson:
" When I first saw David, I thought he was a tall, skinny guy coming from Navy, square, just a weird kind of guy, but watching him growing up, I figured out that he was already a great player. He had 71 points in one game, he's one of the NBA's top 50 players. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to play with him last year and this year. I think Dave is one of the best big men to ever step foot on the NBA basketball court. He's a great guy."
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Manu Ginobili:
" I was nine, and he already was a big name, so obviously when his NBA career began and his rookie season and all that, I was one more fan of him. I was a big fan of the NBA in general, so you know, he was a big name."
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Tim Duncan:
"Dave, your farewell speech here…it’s like you’re dying or something…moving on to the next life. It’s been great, a lot of fun. You’ve been a great person and a great role model for me and I’m going to miss you a bunch."
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Malik Rose:
"Big Fella, I’m still coming to grips with the fact that you’re going to be gone and you’re not going to be around on a daily basis. It’s kind of hard to swallow. I’ve grown kind of attached to you and your family…not kind of, very. I’m very attached to them. Your wife has been very special to me, kind of like a mother away from home, the kids are like my little brothers, and in a lot of ways you’re like a father to me. Even though you were just a teammate, you were always there with kind words or words of encouragement, or even critical words when I needed them. You’re just a special guy and I don’t really know how to say this, but I am going to miss you. And I’m going to just miss you. I just wish you all the best. And I’ll just talk to you from time to time. You’re the best, David, I love you. From my heart."
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Tony Parker:
"David, it was an honor for me coming from France to play with you, but in video games, you're really terrible in Diablo."
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Danny Ferry:
"The impression I think that everyone has of David is that he’s an unbelievable professional. Someone who takes his responsibilities on and off the court very seriously. On the court, an unbelievable career…a million points, a million rebounds, a million everything. But along with that, you see the things he does with the Carver Academy, and just the community in general, especially in San Antonio. Everyone notices from outside of San Antonio to see the great impact he has made on this city. He’s a great guy, and it’s been a real pleasure playing with him the last few years."
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Steve Kerr:
"David, I want to thank you for being such a great teammate. It’s been an honor to be with the Spurs and to be a member of the team with you. You have been a great representative for the NBA all these years, and it’s been really a lot of fun and very exciting to play with you. Best of luck in the future."
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Gregg Popovich:
"When David first came to San Antonio, he was an anomaly, in a sense. Nobody had ever seen anyone that big run and jump and move the way he did. They said he’s somebody who runs like a deer, but in his case, it was absolutely true. To watch him play, he was just a miracle. It was a jaw-dropper."

"Anybody who can be as great a player as he has been, and also understand when Tim Duncan came to town that we would have a better team if he adjusted his role to some degree, that tells you what kind of intelligence he has, what kind of magnanimity he has, and how much he cares about winning and team more than he does about self. That says more than anyone can say."

"The league will lose what any organization would lose. Someone who has been so outstanding an example and a leader in that field. He’s not somebody that you’ll replace. You hope that others that come along in the NBA can at least exude part of what he’s practiced and shown all of us over his long career. Just like Michael’s basketball abilities can’t be replaced, David’s entire persona, what he means as a human being on the planet, can’t really be replaced."

"(laughing) It’s all a front. If you knew the real David, he does things behind the scenes to cause dissention that we have to clean up constantly."

"I have never been around a more remarkable human being."
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Avery Johnson:
"David Robinson is one of the greatest players to ever grace the court... an MVP, a world champion, a perennial All-Star. He is a man of integrity, a god-fearing man, a man that loves his community, loves his nation, and loves the state of Texas. A man of courage...who exemplified great sportsmanship on the court...my lifetime friend and teammate."
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Sean Elliott:
"Yeah we always used to freak out when we saw David singing. He has these big, giant lips…we called them big soup coolers…and he’s out there singing, and closing his eyes, shaking those lips, and the first time I saw him good, I was like ‘Wow.’ It was kind of an other-worldly experience. I had to back off the whole scene for a minute, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, Big Dave, slow yourself down!’ I mean, he was trying to go real Hollywood Star Search on us. It was different to see him in that kind of spotlight."

"Dave really put San Antonio on the map at a time when the city probably needed it. He came in, the team was 20-62 the year before, and just the way he played and turned the franchise around, brought a natural spotlight to the city."

"It’s going to be awfully tough to say goodbye to the Admiral after so many years in a Spurs uniform. I personally find it hard to believe that this day is now looming upon us. David Robinson announcing his retirement, this guy, what can you say about Dave Robinson? He’s been an inspiration to so many teammates, me included, and the community."

"The thing I think I most admire about Dave is the way he really walks in his faith. Here’s a guy who’s a superstar athlete and who’s known around the world. Yet I’ve been out many times with Dave, and you see homeless people or regular people off the street approach Dave, and he treats them with a ton of respect. He makes you feel special, and you just can’t find that in your everyday star. You talk about a guy who will really do things for people who can’t do anything for him…that’s David Robinson."
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Red McCombs:
"God paid a special blessing on San Antonio when he sent us David Robinson. We were in hopes of having a basketball player who could save the franchise for our city. We got much more than that."
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Peter Holt:
"He's one of a kind. He's a true role model -- a tremendous athlete, a family man, a pillar in the community -- but most of all he has a huge heart. He cares about people."
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Mark Cuban:
"It's amazing when you have the opportunity to honor an individual and realize that a league MVP and the NBA championship are the least of his accomplishments."
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Pat Riley:
"He's one of the great players of all time. Over the last three or four years, Tim [Duncan] has pretty much dominated the Spurs and its offense. But I can remember when David was MVP, getting 25 [points],15 [rebounds] and eight [assists]. I mean, he was an absolutely incredible basketball player."
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Larry Brown:
"He's a phenomenal player...he played the right way and brought a lot of credit to our league just by the way he conducted himself."
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